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Board accepts Pelham Education Foundation grant to install adaptive communication boards at elementary playgrounds
Summary
The board voted to accept a $23,363.75 grant from the Pelham Education Foundation to install communication boards on elementary playgrounds; administrators said boards support inclusion and social communication for students with varied communication needs.
The Pelham Board of Education on Jan. 22 accepted a $23,363.75 grant from the Pelham Education Foundation to purchase and install adaptive communication boards at the district’s elementary school playgrounds and at Julianne’s playground, a district representative said.
Assistant Superintendent for Belonging and Wellness Tracy described the devices as symbol-based communication panels that use images, letters and numbers to help nonverbal students or students with limited speech express needs and participate during outdoor play. Tracy said the boards also serve younger language learners and students with social-communication challenges and can promote social-emotional competencies and peer-to-peer interactions.
The grant and implementation plan Tracy said the chosen vendor already built the district’s updated playgrounds and will install the communication boards to visually and physically integrate them with existing playground design. Training for school staff, building speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists is planned so the boards can be used in school programming and family launches; district staff also plan to coordinate a launch event tied to a community education series hosted by the nonprofit Building Bridges.
Why it matters: School leaders said the grant supports universal-design principles by embedding inclusive communication tools in shared play spaces rather than creating separate accommodations.
Board action and vote The board unanimously accepted the monetary gift and thanked the Pelham Education Foundation for funding. The accepted grant amount will be used to buy and install communication boards and fund staff training and launch activities.
Quote "They are invaluable tools for students that have communication challenges but also valuable tools for our developing language learners," Tracy said, describing the boards’ role in promoting inclusion and empathy.
Next steps: Implementation requires coordination with facilities for installation dates and training schedules; administrators will report back on installation timelines and any follow-up events tied to the grant.
