The Special Education Advisory Council
The Special Education Advisory Council is a group of parents and professionals charged by federal special education law and the State to provide policy guidance with respect to special education and related services for children with disabilities within the Commonwealth. Its responsibilities include:
- advise the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on unmet needs within the State in the education of children with disabilities;
- comment publicly on proposed rules and regulations involving special education;
- advise the ESE in developing evaluations and corrective action plans;
- assist in the coordination of services to children with disabilities.
Federal law requires that a majority of the members of this Council be parents of children with disabilities or individuals with disabilities.
Council Members
The Special Education Advisory Council is composed of members recommended by the Commissioner and appointed by the Board of Education. Appointment to the Council is for a three-year term, and no member may serve more than two terms. Over half of the voting members are individuals with a disability or a parent of a child with a disability. Membership is presently comprised of local education officials, teachers, and representatives from higher education, charter schools, special education schools, and organizations that provide transition services to children with disabilities. A reasonable balance of business, civic, labor, and professional groups, and geographic areas, is currently maintained.
| Louis Abbate | MA Association of Approved Private Schools (MAAPS) |
| James Aprea | MA Office on Disability |
| Jane Buckley | MA Rehabilitation Commission |
| Alexandra Buckmire | Boston Renaissance Charter Public School |
| Peter Cirioni | MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education - Office for the Education of Homeless Children & Youth |
| Jennie DunKley | Parent Representative |
Robin Foley
CHAIR | Federation for Children with Special Needs and Parent Representative |
| Alison Fraser | Parent Representative |
| Stephen Gannon | MA Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative |
| Karen Haverty Graves | Parent Representative |
| Amie Ashley Hane | Parent Representative |
| Gail Havelick | MA Department of Public Health |
| Tracy Johnston | Parent Representative |
| Carla B. Jentz | MA Administrators for Special Education |
| Christine Kenney | MA Department of Youth Services |
| Fred Knowles | MA Department of Mental Health |
| Therese Murphy-Miller | MA Department Of Developmental Services |
| Alec Peck | Boston College |
Patricia Schram
VICE CHAIR | Children's Hospital, Boston and Parent Representative |
| Susan Stelk | MA Department of Children and Families |
FY2008-2009 Meeting Schedule
| Date | Location | Time |
|---|
| Tuesday, September 9, 2008 | Hoagland-Pincus Conference Center UMass Medical School - Worcester
Shrewsbury, MA | 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. SAC Meeting
12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m. New SAC Member Orientation
(all members are welcome; lunch will be provided) |
| Tuesday, October 14, 2008 | Hoagland-Pincus Conference Center UMass Medical School - Worcester
Shrewsbury, MA | 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. |
| Monday, November 3, 2008 | Hogan Campus at Holy Cross College in Worcester
Worcester, MA | 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday, December 9, 2008 | Hoagland-Pincus Conference CenterUMass Medical School - Worcester
Shrewsbury, MA | 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. State Special Education Steering Committee
(lunch will be provided) |
| Tuesday, February 10, 2009 | Hoagland-Pincus Conference CenterUMass Medical School - Worcester
Shrewsbury, MA | 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. |
| Tuesday, March 10, 2009 | Hoagland-Pincus Conference CenterUMass Medical School - Worcester
Shrewsbury, MA | 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. |
| Tuesday, April 14, 2009 | Hoagland-Pincus Conference CenterUMass Medical School - Worcester
Shrewsbury, MA | 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. |
| Tuesday, May 12, 2009 | Hoagland-Pincus Conference CenterUMass Medical School - Worcester
Shrewsbury, MA | 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. |
| Tuesday, June 9, 2009 | Hoagland-Pincus Conference CenterUMass Medical School - Worcester
Shrewsbury, MA | 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. |
- There will be nine scheduled SAC meetings, including the State Special Education Steering Committee meeting - which includes the SAC - that will be held on Dec. 9, 2008. (There will be no meeting in January 2009.)
- Meetings will take place on the second Tuesday of the month. Please note: the November SAC meeting will take place after an All Council Meeting on November 3, 2008 at the Hogan Campus at Holy Cross in Worcester.
- Most meetings will be held in the morning, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., except for the November 3 meeting, which will be held after an All Council Meeting and the Steering Committee meeting, which will extend until 3:30 p.m.
- All meetings will be held at the Hoagland-Pincus Conference Center at UMass Medical School – Worcester Foundation Campus, Shrewsbury, MA except for the November 3 meeting, which will be held at the Hogan Campus at Holy Cross in Worcester.
Contact Information:
For further information, including meeting agendas/minutes, please contact:
Shawn Connelly
Liaison to the Special Education Advisory Council
781-338-3378
781.338.3371 (fax)
last updated: October 27, 2008
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