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Special Services showcases Bombers Beyond program; students describe community partnerships and training
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Summary
District Special Services staff presented the Bombers Beyond student-run cafe'reporting a projected net benefit of about $177,000 this year'and students described training, community partners, and upcoming Middlesex County College classes.
Sayreville's Special Services department presented highlights of the Bombers Beyond program and the department's 2026-27 goals, featuring student films and first-person accounts from student employees.
Assistant supervisors and program staff introduced a short documentary by student Kate Burns that was selected for the Garden State Film Festival; teacher Nicholas Taylor credited Burns as an outstanding student filmmaker. Burns described her documentary as a portrait of a program that fosters "inclusion, connection, and confidence." Board members repeatedly praised the film.
Andrew Vanderback presented a four-year program history for Bombers Beyond, saying the program grew from five students to a current cohort of 11 and that it is "on pace to be a net benefit of about $177,000." He described expanded community-based instruction time and partnerships with local businesses and non-profits.
Student presenters Christopher Kirk and Dante Rios Carian described on-the-job tasks, community service projects, and next-step training: seven students are registered for a culinary arts class and four for a computer-skills program at Middlesex County College, with classes beginning in late March. Dante said he hopes to find restaurant work after the program.
The Special Services presenter also summarized accomplishments in intervention services, the piloting and expansion of CentralReach for behavior data tracking, and plans to renew software licenses and pilot an additional resource called Autism Helper. The department emphasized family engagement and unified electives and requested support to fund those tools.
No formal purchases or contract awards were approved at the meeting; software renewals and pilots were listed as requests for board consideration in future budget action.
