New Concord School District Group Hopes To Network Parents, Orgs

CONCORD, NH — The Concord School District is forming a new parent advisory council to assist students with special needs in the system and parents, too.

The Special Education Parent Advisory Council will be a connection between the school district, board of education, parents, and students with individual education plans or 504 plans, as well as the greater community, too, attempting to connect everyone involved to support students in need, according to Bob Belmont, the director of student services for SAU 8.

Belmont, who is spearheading the effort, hoped the council would "stimulate ongoing conversations to support parents," to give them a voice. Many parents, he said, were overwhelmed and never planned on having children who would need so much support. At the same time, there were many resources and opportunities available to parents and children. The key is this, he said, how does the district, the community, and parents work together to make sure those resources are utilized by the families who need them.

The council's first meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 15, via Zoom, at this link. The meeting ID is 843 2936 8114. The meeting will also be broadcast on YouTube.com.

Belmont, who is also a special needs parent with adult children, said one in every 55 or 56 births is autistic and those children have a range of difficulties and disabilities. Parents can sometimes fear medication, he said, while other students can adapt without it. There are sensitivity issues, too, with basic health experiences like dentistry, or interactivities like summer camps, too, can be difficult. As the student ages out of high school and transitions into adulthood, the services also wane. But information can be shared with community resources to assist those children as they become adults.

"Another powerful piece is at the high school level where a parent wants their child to go to college," Belmont said. "But they have to find the right (place). They need help finding a school that is a really good match."

School board members Barbara Higgins and Gina Cannon will be joining Superintendent Kathleen Murphy on the council with Belmont as leadership team members along with parents in a series of monthly meetings. A website will be created with local, state, and federal resource information, too. Belmont would also like to have a parental rights training, too, at some point.

From there, other groups in the community could become involved like occupational therapists who could explain sensory strategies. Trips could be planned on weekends and booked, with staff, to ensure special needs students had the opportunity to do all the same things other students are able to do, like field trips, in a controlled, structured environment. The recreational aspect was important since some students could become down on weekends because they were not as active as they were in school. Belmont suggested calling the program "Super Saturdays."

Another idea would be the creation of a community celebration to award residents who are doing good works in the community when it came to inclusion and acceptance of those students and adults with disabilities to thank and honor those people. Belmont added that looping city officials into the process, too, would be critical. Nominations could be received for the council to consider. There are many people in Concord, he said, who are accomplishing a lot, behind the scenes, while never being acknowledged.

"It's all those no-cost, low-cost things that people do to celebrate that we're all important," he said. "I'd like to have this opportunity. We don't have it in this district."

Some might say that this is a lot of work or would not accomplish what Belmont envisions in Concord despite many residents who are already engaged in many different philanthropic endeavors. But it is already working in Braintree, Massachusetts, and has been for about two decades. Mayor Joseph Sullivan, he said, worked with the school district in that city started a similar program. Now, councils are mandated programs in the state.

"It is just so powerful," he said. "No one plans on having a child with a disability. It's a gift. It's a gift that I know, has made me a better person, and I know I can help others … to share, and I think we can do that in Concord."

Sustaining a model in the city though will be a lot of work and that is where the strong leadership team comes in, Belmont said. Strategically creating small ideas for participants to keep everyone involved is another way to preserve the strength of the idea.

Belmont said, if the district did not form the council, the opportunity would be missed to help others who really need access to resources and assistance. There were so many people who played roles in the lives of others. It will also bring people together and that is a good thing, too.

"I can tell you that my life has been changed because I have heard other people's stories," he said. "We need to support each other with resources. We can do it."

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