Special Education Powwow

    Helene Fallon of Montauk, the project coordinator of the Long Island Parent Center, which is funded by the New York State Education Department to provide parents of children with disabilities with the information and resources available through professionals in the field, organized a symposium that was attended by over 200 people on June 7 at the Tilles Center at Long Island University in Brookville.

    The purpose of the meeting was to stress the importance of building effective educational teams for students with disabilities and to show how research confirms the importance of students and their families having a valued voice in education.

    On the panel were Michael Yudin, the acting assistant secretary of special education and rehabilitative services for the United States Department of Education, James DeLorenzo, the assistant commissioner of special education for the New York State Department of Education, and Rich Burns, the superintendent of the East Hampton School District, who was there to represent the New York State Superintendents Association. “In our opinion, Rich sets the standard for superintendents,” Ms. Fallon said. “He values the input of all students and their families. There couldn’t have been a better choice to sit on our panel.”