Parents of special needs children in Riverhead now have an organization they can turn to for information and advocacy.
The Riverhead Special Education Parent Teacher Association (SEPTA) was officially installed as a chapter of the Suffolk PTA Wednesday evening, bringing a new level of advocacy and access to information for parents of special-needs children in the Riverhead school district.
The vote to form the Riverhead chapter of SEPTA was unanimously approved by all attending the meeting, which took place in the lower level meeting room of the Riverhead Free Library, and the vote was followed by a round of hearty applause.
An attempt to form a Riverhead chapter of SEPTA had previously failed a few years ago, according to Riley Avenue principal David Enos. “But under Arlene’s leadership, this is finally happening,” Enos said. “She’s done a really great job of bringing people together for this huge cause.”
Arlene Gagliano, who was appointed co-president of the group during the meeting Wednesday, was part of the driving force behind the creation of the Riverhead chapter of SEPTA.
“This means everything to me,” said Gagliano. “I have a six-year-old in the Riverhead district who has autism. SEPTA is something to bring the district together to help our children. We’re very excited.”
“We’re looking at it to be a support system for all the parents,” said Lori Marin, who was also part of the movement to bring SEPTA to Riverhead. She was appointed co-president of the group as well. “It will provide education for parents to help them make sure their children are getting what they need in the district.”
“It’s great to have the support of so many parents,” added Gagliano, who was impressed by the number of people that attended the meeting. “Just to have somebody else to talk to who is in the same boat as you is a great opportunity.”
Thirty-five people registered as members of Riverhead SEPTA on Wednesday, surpassing the required number of members of 25. More than 50 people attended the meeting.
Dawn Bozuhoski, parent of a special-needs child, believes that SEPTA will be an invaluable resource to her as a parent. “I can remember sitting in that meeting with my son’s teacher and not knowing what to tell her about the services that he needed,” Bozuhoski said. “I needed to educate myself about Asperger’s syndrome and what it meant for my son.
“It’s not just about the school, but it’s about the family, the parents—how to understand your child’s disability.”
In addition to educating parents about the needs of their own children, Riverhead school board member Angela DeVito believes that the formation of SEPTA in Riverhead will help to educate the community as a whole as well.
“There’s this perception in the community that, ‘Oh, special-needs children cost the district so much money,’” said DeVito. “This organization will help people to understand what it takes to provide an appropriate educational atmosphere for these children.
“We need to increase the level of awareness in the district about what these children really need,” said DeVito.
The bylaws and officer appointments were unanimously approved by all those attending. The Riverhead SEPTA officers appointed Wednesday are: Arlene Gagliano and Lori Marin as co-presidents, Guy DiCosola as vice president, Dawn Bozuhoski as recording secretary, Virginia Healy as treasurer, and Stephanie Farnum as corresponding secretary.
The monthly meetings will be hosted once a month at Riley Avenue School.
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