Blog
Testimony at the Special Education Advisory Committee Meeting (10/22/24)
Hello, For the record, my name is Jana Parker. I am a parent of students with disabilities, an immigrant, a person with disabilities, and president of Seattle Special Education PTSA. I work directly with families as an advocate. I want to briefly express concern that...
Open Letter: Transparent and student-centered budget deficit solutions
Dear Superintendent Jones and School Board, We have given the district ample time to develop and share strategies for resolving some of the nearly $100,000,000 budget gap. Even by the district’s estimates, school closures alone will not close the budget gap. So far,...
Open Letter: Why We’re Boycotting the 2024 WSPTA Legislative Assembly
October 7, 2024 Dear Washington State PTA Leadership, We, the Board of Directors of Seattle Special Education PTSA (SSEPTSA), want to acknowledge the concerns raised about the upcoming Washington State PTA (WSPTA) Legislative Assembly and to explain our...
SSEPTSA is a Finalist for the BECU People Helping People Awards
The Seattle Special Education PTSA (SSEPTSA) is a finalist for BECU’s People Helping People Awards. According to BECU, “these awards are a way for BECU to recognize the organizations who exemplify one of BECU’s founding principles: helping others.” The SSEPTSA is a...
Students with disabilities struggle after high school. One WA district is trying to change that.
A Bellingham program offers young people with disabilities support gaining job experience and building other life skills. But costs make it difficult for other schools to duplicate. This article by Laurel Demkovich has been republished with permission of the...
Solving Special Education Staff Shortages
School districts face many challenges when hiring Special Education teachers and paraeducators. Washington state auditors recently investigated these challenges and described actionable solutions. The strategies in their report focus on finding and keeping qualified...
It’s a win! WA now requires Special Education through age 21
Until recently, Washington State typically ended special education services for a student as soon as they they were 21 years old. Now that rule has changed, and these services are available to qualifying Washington students until the end of that school year! At this...
Navigating the “Birds and the Bees” with Neurodivergent Kids
The "birds and the bees" talk can be a daunting conversation for any parent. It’s natural for this conversation to feel uncomfortable under any circumstances, but there are additional layers of consideration when it comes to neurodivergent kids, such as kids with...
KUOW: Federal Investigation into SPS
KUOW - Federal probe to examine whether Seattle Schools failed special education students during pandemic
College Support for Students with Disabilities
Trinity Covington from Seattle Colleges recently joined a Seattle Special Education PTSA meeting to share information about the Seattle Promise program. All seniors are eligible for Seattle Promise, regardless of GPA. The program offers up to 2 years of free tuition...
