Auburn's mission, "Strengthening Connections through Rigor, Relevance and Relationships" and vision "Our vision is to educate and prepare students for the opportunities and challenges of a changing world" is reflected through all areas of the students school day and the same standard is held for all students.
The Pupil Services Office oversees a variety of programs including Special Education, Section 504, and the Education of Homeless Children.
The Auburn Public Schools believe that all students are capable of achieving high expectations. A strong partnership among parents, teachers, administrators and members of the community enables student success.
Massachusetts Special Education Law, formerly known as Chapter 766, and the federal special education laws, IDEA-2004, mandated identification programs that find and evaluate children requiring special education from age three through twenty-one up to his/her twenty-second birthday. If the child has a disability and requires specially-designed instruction, known as special education, in order to make effective progress in the general education curriculum, then the child may receive special education services.
In Massachusetts, a student with disabilities may be identified as a child in need of special education because of a disability in one of the following categories:
Autism
Communication
Developmental delay (ages 3-9)
Emotional
Health
Intellectual
Neurological
Physical
Sensory impairment due to hearing, vision, and/or deaf-blind
Specific learning
In order to qualify the student must also be unable to make effective progress in the general education curriculum without specially-designed instruction known as special education.
Identifying a student as disabled takes place only after the student is evaluated with written parental permission. The evaluation team may determine that the student has a disability and they may find that the child is not making effective progress in school as a result of that disability. Then the Team, which includes the parents, develops the Individualized Education Program (IEP) and agrees to a special education placement that meets the student's educational needs in the least restrictive environment.
General education and special education teachers in the Auburn District are co-planning, co-teaching, and co-assessing students' progress in the general education curriculum. In this process, the staff-student ratio is improved, and most importantly the Auburn School District demonstrates its' commitment to each student's educational needs and civil rights.
If you suspect that a child may have a disability and may require special education in order to make effective progress in the general education, please have the child's parent and/or legal guardian contact the Student Support Services or the team chairperson of his/her school.
The contact persons are listed below:
Student Support Services Contacts:
Director of Pupil Services, Gregory Walton: gwalton@auburn.k12.ma.us
Team Chairperson:
Shilo Vosburg: svosburg@auburn.k12.ma.us
Building Administration Contacts:
Bryn Mawr Principal: Brooke Beverly, bbeverly@auburn.k12.ma.us, (508) 832-7733
Pakachoag Principal: Jennifer Stanick, jstanick@auburn.k12.ma.us, (508) 832-7788
District Administration Contact:
Superintendent of Schools: Elizabeth Chamberland, echamberland@auburn.k12.ma.us, (508) 832-7755
Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Alan Keller, akeller@auburn.k12.ma.us, (508) 832-7755