Due to the growing numbers and needs of the Lynbrook community, the Department of Special Services is growing. The district administration and the school board continue to provide us with the support needed to address the special education and mental health needs of our students.
We welcome the new addition of a CPSE/CSE Chairperson. Patricia Schwetz has provided great support as a part- time administrator this past year and will be with us full-time starting in September. She has come to us with a wealth of special education knowledge from Nassau BOCES. She is a bilingual Spanish speaker with a background as a Speech and Language Pathologist. Ms. Schwetz is a welcome addition to the department and has much to offer as support to our staff, students, and parents.
In addition to our current high school psychologists, Jordan Richman and Dr. Deborah Mann, we will have a third psychologist in the high school. Kerrilyn Scurdi has experience working with high school age students in special education and in the mainstream classrooms. She will be a welcome support in addressing the mental health needs of our high school students.
Lynbrook recognizes the value of educating students with special needs in their home community when appropriate. This past summer we were able to introduce an Extended School Year Program. This program is for specific students who meet the New York State Education Department requirements for eligibility. These students previously traveled to a neighboring community to receive these services.
In effort to educate all of our students in our home community, we continue to increase programs and services here in Lynbrook. This fall, Waverly Park will have a new small special class to accommodate the needs of some of our youngest special education students.
This past year the students in our small class at North Middle School have had many opportunities to be included with their peers through a program called Owl Buddies. Students from the mainstream classes joined Ms. Saunders’ classroom for activities throughout the year. We look forward to expanding this program to Waverly Park next year.
In addition to socializing with their peers in the Middle School, Ms. Saunders’ students have made virtual connections with students in Lynbrook High School. They plan to continue this connection with their High School Buddies in the fall and hope to have some in person interactions in our new PAES Lab. (This is a brand new addition to our High School CDP Program, offering simulated vocational opportunities to prepare students for the world of work.)