The mission of the Woburn Public School (WPS) Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is to work towards the understanding of, respect for, support, and appropriate education for all children with disabilities in the WPS community. To that end, the Woburn SEPAC will:
1. Advise the School Committee and Director of Special Education on matters that pertain to the education, health, and safety of students with disabilities by providing direct parent input, review, and feedback [603 CMR 28:07(4)].
2. Meet regularly with school officials (Director of Special Education, School Committee, etc.) to advise and participate in the planning, development, and evaluation of the district’s special education programs [603 CMR 28:07 (4)]. This includes providing input to the development of policy and procedures as well as parent, teacher, and community member trainings. Advising and participating shall include development and review of the Coordinated Program Reviews and Mid-cycle Reviews, and Corrective Action Plans (as appropriate), prior to submission to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
3. Promote a network of parents, guardians, educational surrogates, including but not limited to parents of children with disabilities and provide a forum to share information and discuss matters regarding children with disabilities. This will include offering a network of support for parents including access to relevant information, training, and resources, and sharing timely information with the membership and the community in Woburn, as well as WPS administration and the School Committee.
4. Promote communication and programs within the community to encourage understanding, acceptance and inclusion of children with disabilities, thereby encouraging an atmosphere of open communication, understanding and mutual respect among all students, parents, teachers, and the Woburn community at large.
5. Provide informational forums to parents, educators, students and other professionals. This will include collaboration with parent/teacher groups, school councils, administrators, and other school and community organizations to promote the achievement of district goals and the SEPAC mission, and provide opportunities for parents and school personnel to participate in joint training to foster mutual understanding.
6. Promote communication between Woburn SEPAC members, local, state and national organizations, councils and groups. This may include continual review of public policy issues, state advisories and regulations which impact education in Massachusetts, and crafting responses, as necessary.
Our Bylaws, ratified at our January 11, 2022 meeting, are available here: SEPAC Bylaws (Updated 121621)