EDMONDS, Wash. — Alex Leggett, Silvia Ferreira and Alyssa Julian met through advocating for their children, all of whom access special education services through the Edmonds School District. Now they're connecting with dozens more families as they collaborate in hopes of organizing a new Special Education Parent Teacher Student Association (SEPTSA) group for the district.
Each mother said they came up against challenges accessing the services and supports their children are owed, and hope to build a sense of community and common advocacy among all families in the districts.
"It's something we shouldn't have to fight for; it's something that should just be provided happily so our kids are best set up for success," Leggett said. "I don't want to have to fight for it- but I'm willing to."
The Edmonds School District, among many others, has been forced to make difficult financial decisions in recent years.
"Year after year these budget cuts are rolled out and they always disproportionately impact students who receive special education services," Ferreira said.
They're hopeful a SEPTSA could help them formally advocate to ensure special education supports are protected, expanded and enforced. It would also provide a mechanism for pushing state lawmakers to increase funding for education as a whole, and special education specifically.
"Try to bring ideas and things in front of the district, invite them to our meetings, make sure they're fully aware of what this huge parent group is advocating for," Leggett said.
Superintendent Rebecca Miner wrote in a statement that she is "so excited about the prospect of a special education PTA group in our District and so grateful to the parents who are working on this endeavor."
Miner said she has worked in districts in the past where these groups have "helped increase connections between families, provided education to other PTAs and school groups and served as wonderful advocates, both at the local and legislative level, for children." Specifically, she pointed to a district where the SEPTA developed a resource kit for schools and PTAs on how to make overwhelming events more accessible.
"This included creating a sensory quiet room for taking a break from the festivities and doing soft openings before the community-at-large is invited to the event to allow students who need a quieter space or a chance to get acclimated to the space before it gets too busy," Miner wrote.
The parent-driven move to create a SEPTSA comes after the district commissioned an independent review of its special education programs and convened a Special Education Advisory Council.
Leggett, Ferreira and Julian believe a SEPTSA will be a more direct, effective way to organize families and push for results. In addition, Julian said it's also a way to formally connect parents - providing a support system for navigating services, overcoming challenges and facilitating self-care.
"To look at your child on paper can be difficult for parents and to have no community for parents to lean on each other and go through this together its extremely isolating, whether you're fighting with the district or not," Julian said. "Every chapter has a different challenge and I'm happy to help parents underneath me navigate that challenge while learning from those before me."
The group has already held an informational meeting and will hold an "affiliation meeting" on July 11 at 6 p.m. at Mountlake Terrace Library and via zoom (info here) to gauge interest and start the necessary process to form an organization. They are also coordinating discussions here.
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