School can be a confusing environment for the parent of a preschooler with special needs, as parents wade through programs available, individualized education plans and having their child diagnosed. As the child reaches graduation, a new slew of issues arise, including what transition resources they can use and what their role as guardian becomes once the child turns 18.

The Parent Partnership Council, a group of about 25 Jackson teachers and parents, has formed to address these concerns.

At the group's second meeting Thursday, parent and charter member Traci Ritter outlined the groups goals: to encourage inclusion of students with disabilities and to educate and increase communication between parents, teachers and the community.

The group is for parents with children of all ages and types of disabilities; parents attending the meeting had children with disabilities ranging from Down syndrome to autism to mental retardation.

"We want to find ways to improve and meet the needs of all students, and ask what we can do to make parents feel more a part of the district," said Dr. Beth Emmendorfer, director of special services.

About 650 of the district's 4,675 students have a disability, according to Emmendorfer.

Already a Peer Partnership program has been formed, where a student with special needs is paired with a mentor, another high school student who applied for the program and went through an interview process.

The two are encouraged to eat lunch or attend pep rallies together and meet once a week to discuss social or academic needs.

"It's for students to find a place socially to spend time in, in a school environment, even though they may not fit into an athletic or academic club," said Ritter, who has a 16-year-old daughter with a learning disability.

The council is planning a Disability Awareness Day, scheduled for the end of April or beginning of May. Parent and charter member Cindy Brotherton hopes the Peer Partnership participants will make a presentation for elementary and middle school students.

For junior high and high schoolers, Brotherton has looked into having an assembly featuring actors from the DisAbility Project, a St. Louis-based theater group that uses music and dance to raise awareness about disabilities.

After discussing the project, the council broke into three groups: one to discuss ways to recognize teachers and students who are having a positive effect on the lives of students with disabilities, another to organize data collection to determine the needs of the district and a third to arrange monthly workshops.

Topics of the workshops could include autism, early childhood, transition services or individualized education plans, Brotherton said.

"Jackson already has so many services. We want to learn how we can build on those and make school experiences positive for all students," she said.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

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