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PASS hosts workshop for parents of special needs children

  • Published
  • By Bekah Clark
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  The Scott Air Force Base Parent Advocates for Students and Schools, or PASS, hosted a Special Needs Law workshop Aug. 18 at the Airman and Family Readiness Center to help educate parents of special needs children at Scott Air Force Base.

During the workshop, Melissa Taylor, director of special education at a local school district, discussed Illinois laws associated with educating children with special needs.

The workshop, with 40 parents in attendance, increased parental knowledge on standards required by the state of Illinois, empowered parents to maximize student benefits according to law, showed how to integrate strategies for children to achieve goals, and helped parents better understand how to communicate with the school district to advocate for their child's specific needs.

"The workshop was very informative about education law and school funding," said one parent on an anonymous feedback card. "As a parent it is very emotional. The details provided and questions answered helped me to be understanding of what schools also deal with."

Ms. Taylor encouraged participants to write down questions on index cards so that parental concerns could be addressed to the group anonymously. Ms. Taylor provided detailed answers to more than 40 questions asked by parents.

"The workshop was a tremendous success on several fronts," said Amy Uptergrove, Airman and Family Readiness Center chief. "We received outstanding feedback from parents and many of their education questions were answered. In addition, the A&FRC staff and the director of special education were able to hear the questions and concerns that many parents have so that we can offer additional workshops in the future."

PASS is a volunteer organization that provides military parents and guardians with effective ways to advocate for their children as they transition between school systems due to military moves. PASS promotes peer to peer networking among parents, organizes workshops on topics chosen from workshop participant feedback, and is a key link between local schools and the military community.

The next PASS workshop is scheduled for Sept. 9 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Airman and Family Readiness Center. This workshop will walk parents of special needs children through the entire Individual Education Plan process.

For more information about PASS, or if you'd like to volunteer, call the A&FRC at 256-8668 or find them on Facebook by searching "Scott AFB; Parent Advocates for Students & Schools (PASS)."