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Parents urge board to fund 'Social Seekings' after-school program for students with disabilities
Summary
Parents urged the Newport-Mesa Unified School District to allocate funding and staff for Social Seekings, a district after-school program for middle and high school students with disabilities, and pushed for a permanent liaison to make extracurriculars more inclusive. Superintendent Smith said staff is listening and previewed next steps.
Parents in the audience pressed the Newport-Mesa Unified School District board on Tuesday to fund an after-school inclusion program and hire staff to help students with disabilities access extracurriculars.
"Social Seekings is a transformative afterschool program for all middle and high school students with disabilities," parent Emily Norton told the board, asking the district to provide dedicated funding in the 2025–26 school year. Several families and program leaders joined Norton at the podium to describe the program’s role providing social opportunities, work-readiness activities and supported participation at athletic events.
Melissa Winberry, a long-time community advisory committee member, said families face a ‘‘maze of meetings and hurdles’’ to make activities accessible. "We're asking, how can we broaden the pie to be more inclusive?" she said, urging the board to fund staff positions and supports that would allow students who need additional assistance to participate in sports, drama and clubs.
Board members and Superintendent Smith responded that the district has begun steps toward greater inclusion, including co-teaching models, a site-based TOSA assigned to Corona del Mar and plans to expand Unified Sports. "When parents and advocates come forward, we really, really listen," Superintendent Smith said, adding that the district will present CCEE-informed recommendations at upcoming board meetings and invited parents to a district-wide meeting the next day.
Smith said the district will keep growing professional development and programs for inclusion but acknowledged parents’ desire for faster change. He encouraged those who spoke to continue engaging with staff and the committee process that governs program and facility decisions, including any formal request for funding.
The board did not take an immediate funding vote at Tuesday’s meeting. The superintendent and staff said they will include inclusion initiatives and related program details in forthcoming presentations so the board can consider staffing and budget options in the 2025–26 planning cycle.
The next procedural step the superintendent mentioned is a parent meeting and future board presentations summarizing CCEE consultation and proposed milestones for staffing and program expansion.
