The Short Story The District formed and led a Special Education Parent Advisory Group (SEPAG) in 2007. The District selected 15 parent representatives and called the group Various Opinions for Improving Children’s Educational Services (VOICES). Parents did not find this top-down model to be useful and changed it to a parent-led model to create a space for open dialogue among parents. Stephanie Cartier and Karen Antone became the new leaders, holding monthly parent meetings in the community as well as Administrator meetings to discuss parental concerns. This model proved successful, as the parent leaders were able to identify the systemic issues from parent input and have constructive conversations with the District while maintaining confidentiality. The VOICES name changed to MTFOdL (Middletown Friends of different Learners) in June 2012 to affiliate with other Friends of different Learners SEPAG’s. In June 2015, Antone and Cartier appointed new SEPAG leadership, Magaly Milton and Heather Saffert. In 2018, the regional Two Rivers Friends of different Learners together with MTFOdL changed their name from “different” to “diverse” to be more inclusive. In December of 2020, Michele Ellis Busfield became an Interim Co-Chair. Many parents have provided input to the group and contributed to its success. Click on a 2019 letter below for more details:

SEPAG Leaders