Parent University | All You Need to Know About Special Education

Parent University focused on the topic of Special Education for an evening of learning, connecting, and collaborating. Parent University offers a series of events, focused on various topics, where parents, schools, and members of our district act in partnership for our scholars. A series of presentations were offered throughout the April evening evening and community partners gathered to provide information, resources, and support to our students and families. Childcare and resources were also provided by the NECSD Family and Community Engagement (FACE) team.

The next Parent University event will be held on Wednesday, May 24th at NFA North Campus for A Night of Wellness and Celebration | Relax, Refresh, Reflect, and Rejuvenation.

As part of the evening, Parent University welcomed:

Inaudy Gil-Esposito, Executive Director Orange County Human Rights Commission as the keynote speaker.

Independent Living Skills, Diana Archer, YES! Newburgh with the Osborne Association

Ending the Silence, Early Warning Signs, Dhanu Sannesy, NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Illness) Orange County NY

PRE-ETS (Pre employment Transition Services) Introduction, Mercy Turugh, SMART Staffing Group Inc.

Healthy Relationships, Nafie Jallow, Fearless! Hudson Valley, INC.

Self Direction, Terri Still, Access: Supports for Living

Project SEARCH, Dr. Patricia DeCaterina, NFA/ Project Search

Self-Advocacy in College. Maggie Kemp and Jennifer Bruntil, Mount Saint Mary College

Opening Doors!, Janet Orwick, NECSD- Exceptional Learners 

OPWDD (Office with People with Developmental Disabilities), Christopher Knight, OPWDD 

How Schools Help Plan for Life after High School, Joyce Hawk, Westchester Institute for HD

Guardianship, Anne Klinger, Mental Health Association in Orange County

Elementary and Secondary SWD (Student with Disabilities), Elizabeth De Francesco, NECSD Exceptional Learners Supervisor 

We are thankful for all of our presenters, community based organizations, and NECSD faculty and staff who provided support for our students and families during this event! 

ATTENTION: Are your scholars or colleagues doing something great? Please contact the district Communications Team at communications@necsd.net. We’d love to visit your class or event and/or post your pictures and recap to highlight the amazing accomplishments throughout our district!