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Parents urge Lincoln Way to restore Special Olympics bowling season, criticize district communications
Summary
Parents of students in Lincoln Way’s special‑services programs told the board the Special Olympics bowling season was shortened to a single game to accommodate a new basketball offering and that many families and teachers were not notified; they demanded clearer, district‑level communications and full disclosure.
Several parents urged the Lincoln Way CHSD 210 Board of Education on Sept. 19 to reverse or clarify changes to the district’s Special Olympics bowling program and to improve communication with families of students in special services.
Melissa Ballard, a Manhattan resident and parent of a Lincoln Way West student who participates in the life program, said she learned the bowling season would be delayed until March and shortened to one game. She said the change was communicated late, coming only after supplies drop‑off and through some parent emails. “Why does my daughter and her friends have to have a significantly shortened activity they enjoy in order to add another activity?” Ballard asked the board, adding that her daughter Morgan cannot play basketball and therefore would be disadvantaged by the shortened bowling season.
Tessa Quinlan, who described herself as a parent advocate with more than 15 years of involvement in special‑services matters, said parents and families were often left to spread word of meetings and decisions and urged the district to hold broader, accessible conversations with the entire special‑needs community rather than relying on informal parent networks. Quinlan said some parents did not agree with the shortened season and that the district failed to clearly state whether bowlers would be eligible or intended to attend regional or state Special Olympics competitions.
Both parents asked for clearer, district‑led communications — including meeting times and full agendas — so families can participate in discussions that affect special‑services programming. School staff present told parents that Special Olympics bowling at Lincoln Way has functioned as an intramural program competing mainly against other Lincoln Way schools and that the decision to add basketball and alter the bowling schedule was not consistently communicated to all families.
What’s next: Parents asked the board for clearer outreach and for administrators to revisit communications so that families of special‑services students receive timely, district‑level notice of programming changes.
