Parent Advisory Group & Special Needs Survey

Published February 26, 2009

The parents of students with special needs have a new place to turn to for support. The Williamson County Schools Student Support Services Department is helping to facilitate an advisory group for parents facing the unique challenges of raising children with disabilities.

"One of the primary reasons we want to do this is to address the need that parents have when they are new to our district and have children with special needs," says Student Support Coordinator Lisa Bilton. "Often times they don’t know which way to turn and they don’t know which resources are available to them."

Allison Moore is one of the parents helping to organize the advisory group. She says she's excited about the possibilities. "We have plans to organize informational sessions around an array of learning needs," says Moore. "We can facilitate face-to-face support groups based on a number of factors such as learning needs, age or location."

The Student Support Services Department is in the process of distributing a Special Needs Survey to the parents of students with disabilities. The survey is designed to help the department identify and resolve the ongoing needs of families. It will also give parents a way to begin receiving information about the advisory group. In addition to sending a copy of the survey home with every special needs student, the survey is also available ONLINE.