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) |
| Jane Buckley | MA Rehabilitation Commission |
| Alexandra Buckmire | Boston Renaissance Charter Public School |
| Peter Cirioni | Office for the Education of Homeless Children & Youth |
| Jennie DunKley | Parent |
| Mary Fitzgerald | MA Office on Disability |
| Robin Foley, CHAIR | Federation for Children with Special Needs - Parent Representative |
| Alison Fraser | Parent |
| Karen Haverty Graves | Parent |
| Gail Havelick | MA Department of Public Health |
| Carla B. Jentz | MA Administrators for Special Education |
| Fred Knowles | MA Department of Mental Health |
| Rose Milas | MA Department of Youth Services |
| Therese Murphy-Miller | MA Department Of Mental Retardation |
| Alec Peck | Boston College |
| David Riley | MA Urban Project |
| Patricia Schram, V. CHAIR | Children's Hospital, Boston |
| Susan Stelk | MA Department of Social Services |
| Amy Young | Parent |
FY2007-2008 Meeting Schedule
| Date | Location | Time |
|---|
| Tuesday, September 18, 2007 | Hoagland-Pincus Conference Center
UMass Medical School - Worcester Foundation Campus
Shrewsbury, MA | 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. SAC Meeting
1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m. New SAC Member Orientation (all members are welcome; lunch will be provided) |
| Tuesday, October 9, 2007 | Hoagland-Pincus Conference Center
UMass Medical School - Worcester
Shrewsbury, MA | 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. |
| Tuesday, November 13, 2007 | Hoagland-Pincus Conference Center
UMass Medical School - Worcester
Shrewsbury, MA | 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. |
| Tuesday, December 11, 2007 | Hoagland-Pincus Conference Center
UMass Medical School - Worcester
Shrewsbury, MA | 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
State Special Education Steering Committee
(lunch will be provided) |
| Tuesday, February 12, 2008 | Hoagland-Pincus Conference Center
UMass Medical School - Worcester
Shrewsbury, MA | 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. |
| Tuesday, March 11, 2008 | Hoagland-Pincus Conference Center
UMass Medical School - Worcester
Shrewsbury, MA | 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. |
| Tuesday, April 8, 2008 | Hoagland-Pincus Conference Center
UMass Medical School - Worcester
Shrewsbury, MA | 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. |
| Tuesday, May 13, 2008 | Hoagland-Pincus Conference Center
UMass Medical School - Worcester
Shrewsbury, MA | 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. |
| Tuesday, June 10, 2008 | Hoagland-Pincus Conference Center
UMass 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 - and will be held on Dec. 11, 2007. (There will be no meeting in January 2008.) After the first meeting, the meetings will take place on the second Tuesday of the month. Most meetings will be held in the morning, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., except for 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.
Contact Information:
For further information, including meeting agendas/minutes, please contact:
Sarah Harvey
Liaison to the Special Education Advisory Council
781-338-3361
781.338.3371 (fax)
last updated: April 28, 2008
|
State Government · State Services 
