Tri Town Special Education Parent Advisory Council

Special Needs Events in Massachusetts During November & December

2009-11-21T01:31:58Z

“Preparing For The Holidays” Family Training:
November 30th, Andover. Presentation will provide tips and resources for getting through the busy holiday season and developing individual plans to make the events run smoothly. .

Addressing Sexuality – Workshop:
December 1st, Worcester. Learn to understand and address issues of sexuality, as well as manage sexuality-related teachable moments. Intended for anyone who works directly with individuals with developmental/intellectual disabilities.

Basic Rights – Denied:
December 2nd, Ellen Chambers, of SPEDWatch, will discuss how to use special education law, policy, basic advocacy techniques to address problems that occur at each stage of the special education process, and when and how to file a complaint.

Visit Special Olympics’ New Massachusetts Headquarters:
SOMA’s new Yawkey Sports Training Center offers those with intellectual disabilities state-of-art facilities that include:
-High-tech training rooms for coaches, volunteers, athletes, medical professionals.
-A full court gymnasium and athletic fields.
-A special meeting area dedicated to health screenings for athletes and training of health care professionals. There’s lots more SOMA offers there and across the state.

Your Dependent With Special Needs: Making Their Future More Secure:
December 9, Needham. Workshop deals with the financial, legal and social issues of future planning. Designed for newcomers and those families who have already begun the planning process. Part of the Roger A. Bauman Parent Lecture Series.

Free Family Holiday Movie Has Star With Down Syndrome
December 12th, Framingham. The Child King is a holiday movie, made in Massachusetts, about a young man with Down Syndrome who takes his little brother on a life-changing quest to the North Pole.

For more details about the listed events, visit
www.spedchildmass.com, and scroll to “Events”

Tri Town Special Education Parents Advisory Council Meeting

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The Board is scheduled to meet on November 30, 2009, February 8th, and May 24th, 2010 at 8:45 a.m. in the Boxford Town Hall 2nd floor conference room to discuss matters related to special education in the Tri Town. All are invited to join the PAC in a discussion with Sharon Lyons, Director of Special Education in our community.

Article III – Terms of Membership

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General membership shall be open to:

1) any parent or guardian who has a child receiving special education services or who has a child for whom an evaluation has been requested, or is a parent or guardian of a child with special needs with or without and individual education program (IEP) or;

2) providers, who, or whose agencies, serving children under state and federal laws and other interested parties who are not employees of the tri-town school systems or members of the tri-town school committees unless they are also parents of children with special needs.

Voting membership is required to vote in annual officer elections and other business that comes before any TRI-TOWN SEAC meeting.

Voting membership is determined when a general member is a parent or a guardian of a child with special needs residing in the Tri-Town, with or without an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or is a parent or guardian of a child with special need who attends the Towns’ public schools and has attended at least one previous meetings of the Tri-Town Special Education Parent Advisory Council during the last twelve (12) months, or has requested voting status in writing to the Secretary at least one month prior to elections.

The Executive Committee of the Tri-Town Special Education Parents Advisory Council shall determine clarification of membership.

Article IX- Amendments

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These by-laws may be amended by a simple majority of the voting members at a general meeting or a special meeting provided that written notice has been given prior to said meeting.

Article VIII – Meetings

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Meetings are defined as any Tri-Town Special Education Parent Advisory Council sponsored meeting, activity, or committees at which attendance is taken.

Business meetings of the TTSEPAC will be held monthly from September through June with the exception of December at a place to be determined. Specific dates will be set at the beginning of the school year.

Parent-to-Parent Forums will be held bi-monthly with the schedule to be determined at the beginning of the school year.

Educational/Informational Meetings will be held throughout the Tri-Town School year. Dates will be set at the beginning of the school year.

Notice of meetings shall be published in all of the tri-town elementary school newsletters and whenever possible, the local Tri-Town newspapers and by notice to the general membership via email. All business meetings will be posted at each of the Town halls in Boxford, Middleton and Topsfield.

Roberts Rule of Order shall cover all meetings.

Article VII – Subcommittees

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Subcommittees shall be created by the Executive Committee as needed and may be either an ad-hoc committee or, if needed, a standing committee. The Subcommittee Chair shall be a volunteer or will be a nominee accepted by a simple majority of the members present. Each subcommittee will (can) report back to a designated officer of the Executive committee at the business meetings of the TTSEPAC or by mail, email or telephone depending on the timeliness of the communication. Committees can include, but are not limited to, fundraising, public relations, nominating and outreach.

Article VI – Officers- Composition of the Parent Advisory Council

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The officers of the TTSEPAC consist of the three co-presidents and a secretary and a treasurer. Duties of officers shall be as follows:

A. Co-President (3) – One From Each Town of Boxford, Middleton and Topsfield

1. Preside at all meetings of the Council
2. Call meetings and set up the Agenda.
3. Sign on behalf of the Council all documents reasonably necessary for its proper conduct.
4. Co-Presidents or their designated representatives shall act as a liaison between the Special Needs Administrator and School Committee and shall report to them at least annually and attend those meetings as needed.
5. Recommend the organization and monitor the function of sub-committees.
6. No Council Member may transact business as a representative of the council or a subcommittee, except the co-presidents as outlined above.

B. Treasurer

1. Preside at meetings in the absence of the co-presidents, or at the request of the president.
2. Assist in managing projects a determined jointly with the Executive Committee.
3. Have the custody and be responsible for all funds of the Council.
4. Collect and deposit all Council funds in its name in such bank, as the Council shall designate.
5. Sign all checks and other instruments for payment of money as may be in the best interest of the Council and pay out and dispose of same and receipts thereof.
6. Render a statement of the condition of the finances of the Council at such times as shall be required by the Council and a full financial report at the May Council meeting.

C. Secretary

1. Keep minutes of the Council Meetings, including a current membership list.
2. Record and maintain attendance at each meeting.
3. Notify Council of changes of meeting dates and agenda.
4. Coordinate the recording and filing of minutes of the TTSEPAC and its sub-committees.
5. Collect and review all correspondence received by the TTSEPAC and report on such at each meeting.
6. Coordinate public communications with the Tri-Town Schools and local newspapers.

Article V- Election of Officers

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A. Election of co-presidents, secretary and the treasurer will be the first order of business during the May meeting. It will be by secret ballot at said meeting.

B. The co-presidents, treasurer and secretary are elected by a simple majority of those present at the Council Meeting.

C. A co-president may only serve in a particular office for two consecutive years unless agreed to otherwise by a simple majority vote of those present at the May Council Meeting. If an individual volunteers to either serve or continue as a president, and there is no other person seeking election to that position; then, by a simple majority vote of those present at the May Council Meeting to fill a seat, that person any continue serving in their present capacity.

D. In the Event that two or more persons are running for election to the co-president for one town, then the elections rules as outlined herein should be followed.

Article IV- Members of Executive Committee

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The Tri-Town Special Education Parents Advisory Council recognizes the uniqueness of the TTSEPAC in that there are three towns that make up the Tri-Town schools, each with their own school committees, but all sharing the same school administrators, namely a superintendent and Director of Special Education. To ensure that each town is equally represented, a president from each town will serve on the “Executive Committee”. In this capacity, all members of the Executive committee will be elected at the May Council meeting. Terms begin July 1st and end June 30th of the following year.

The Director of Special Education, Superintendent and MASSPAC will be informed of the annual elections with the names, addresses and phone numbers of the new board in June of each year.

The executive committee will approve all fundraising activities and all expenditure of funds.

In the event that either:

1) no president is elected from a town at the May Council Meeting, or

(2) a duly elected president is unable to complete their term, or

3) the current president does not seek re-election or

4) no one runs for the president’s position in one of the towns, then, the other town presidents will make executive board decisions until such time as a president can either be appointed for the remainder of said term or until a president is duly elected.

The description of each officer’s duties is outlined in these by-laws.

Article II- Purpose of the PAC

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The mission of the Tri-Town Special Education Parents Advisory Council is to provide information, support and assistance to parents of children with special needs in the communities of Boxford, Middleton and Topsfield. To that end, the TRI-TOWN SEAC will:

1. Promote a network of parents/guardians of children with special needs and provide “parent to parent” forums to share information and discuss matters of concern and interest for parents/guardians of children with special needs.

2. Advise the Special Education Administrator and the School Committee of the operation and development of special education programs, parent, family and teacher training needs.

3. Provide informational and educational forums for parents/guardians, families, and professionals involved with children with special needs.

4. Promote communication and programs within the communities to encourage understanding, acceptance and inclusion of children with special needs.