Special Education Parent/Professional Advisory Council

What is SEPAC?

The Special Education Parent/Professional Advisory Council  is made up of Enumclaw School District parents and educators who meet five times each school year for sharing concerns and discussing special needs issues with the director of Student Support Services, Aaron Stanton. The staff and parents who participate are committed to helping children with special needs succeed.  Six staff members and six parents are officially designated as council members.  Other staff and parents are always welcome to attend.

What do we do at meetings?

We have frank and open discussions on a range of topics that impact the education of children with disabilities in our district. The meeting time is structured to allow us to address identified concerns and stay on task, but we try to allow time, too, for input and for new questions to be raised.  It is not a forum where we can resolve individual issues for a particular situation, but many such issues affect others in the wider school community, so do get attention on our problem-solving agenda.  For example, we have had focused discussions on such topics as:

• IEPs
• WASL
• transition
• preschool experience
• parent/school communications
• tolerance/bullying prevention

What are the benefits of attending?

• Parents have a chance to share their perspectives and help staff understand how they perceive the schools;
• Parents gain understanding of staff perspective;
• Parents meet others who have similar concerns and are dealing with the challenges of raising children with disabilities;
• Parents get to know other staff from across the district who might be working with their children in the years to come;
• Parents see changes in schools resulting from their work in this group;
• Parents represent friends and fellow parents who are unable to attend;
• Parents share their insights on a specific disability; All in a climate of mutual respect.