The presentation released for discussion at the Franklin (MA) School Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Jan 13, 2015.

1. Special Education Update
Elizabeth Fitzmaurice
Director of Pupil Personnel Services
Sara Mulcahy
SEPAC Vice-President

2. SPED by the numbers
Enrollment
 FPS Enrollment = 5,646
 SPED identified = 916
 Inclusion = 767
 Sub-Separate = 81
 OOD = 68
Finance
 Transportation savings
 Reduced OOD
 Increased in-district
programming
 Operating, grant, circuit
breaker $$
As of: 12/19/2014

3.  Of nearly 1,000 students, most are happy
 Committed to the most appropriate education for all students
 Flexibility: Not ‘one size fits all’
 Collaborative IEP development process
 Student achievement is on the rise
 Students moving to lesser restrictive settings and having real
life school experiences with their peers
 Students have similar opportunities to access assessments
 FHS MCAS results improve each year
Satisfaction and Achievement

4.  Family education through workshops
 Parent Support
 Community Outreach
 Social Events for Families
 Fundraising
SEPAC Update

5.  FPS/SEPAC Transition Fair
 SPAN Presentation with BSEA
 Kennedy Donovan Center @ Dean
 Maria Trozzi workshops for parents
 Everyday inclusive experiences that capture each students
area of giftedness
 Best Buddies – HS, MS, ES (? – stay tuned)
 Parent support & welcome events to augment building
events
 …
Successes

6.  Inclusion
 Included vs. present
 Explore and find enriching experiences for each student
 Encouraging and supporting a sense of belonging
 Transition
 Current DESE focus to begin at age 14
 Students planning their own future
 Involved in own IEP development
 Career and college readiness
 Community & vocational opportunities
Transition & Inclusion

7. Dillon Scarnici
Senior, Franklin High School
A Student’s perspective …

8. Sara Mulcahy, Brendan’s mom
A Parent’s Perspective

9.  More inclusion
 Expanding co-teaching – ES/HS kicking it up a notch, MS is
next
 More transition – at all levels
 Student involvement and parent education
 Increased student self-advocacy – truly working toward
independence
 FPS SPED on twitter
 Follow us @FPS4Students
What is next for FPS SPED