Special Education

About Special Education 

The Acton-Boxborough Regional School District offers a continuum of special education supports and services for the over 800 students with disabilities it serves. From Learning Center programs and specialized programs, to related services, supports are provided to meet the needs of individual learners.  The goal of all programming is to support students with disabilities to access the general curriculum in their least restrictive environment and to be included within the general education setting to the greatest extent appropriate.  All special education programming emphasizes skill development,  self-determination, and self-advocacy skills for greater independence and responsibility for learning.

Link to Program Guide Link to Program Guide


New IEP: Learning and Sharing

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has updated its Individualized Education Program (IEP) for the first time in over 20 years!  The forms have changed 

significantly, and our staff will be learning about the new format and content changes throughout the school year. If you would like to see what the new forms look like, you can visit DESE’s site hereActon-Boxborough will be implementing the new forms beginning September, 2024 as required by the state.  However, staff have expressed interest in trying out the new forms beginning in April, 2024 for a few of their students.  We will let you know if we are able to do this once the training has been completed.  We look forward to collaborating with SEPAC and holding parent information meetings about the new forms later in the fall. 

 

Who to Contact and How to Connect

Team meetings will continue to be held both virtually and in-person, based on parent preference.  Your liaisons will be in communication with you when scheduling meetings. If you have questions about your student’s IEP or services, please contact your school’s Special Education Coordinator listed below:

CHECP: Joe Gibowicz

Blanchard: Kelly Morrissey

Conant: Rachael Fusco

Douglas: Tara Kirousis

Gates: Tara Kirousis

McT: Kristie Barry-Ayres

Merriam: Rachael Fusco

RJ Gray: Maureen Lin

ABRHS: Sarah Turner

Susan Root

Out of District: Matt Kidder

Acton-Boxborough SEPAC

We look forward to another collaborative year with Acton-Boxborough SEPAC.  Co-Chairs Amanda Bailey and Abe Gutierrez have shared meeting dates for the 2023-2024 school year and they can be found here.  You can also contact them at [email protected]. Please note that Special Education Coordinators will be joining the first SEPAC meeting in September.  We are excited to welcome your students back to school very soon.  Please reach out to us or your coordinator if you have any additional questions or concerns. 


Electronic Document Access: PowerSchool

Parents of students with IEPs and 504 Plans can find their student’s documents in the PowerSchool Parent PortalFamilies can find instructions on how to access these documents HERE and also in the Portal. 

Restraint Policy and Procedures
Each school has a team of professionals trained in restraint according to the Policies and Procedures established by the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District. The district provides yearly training to staff to keep current.

Click on the Program Guide for more information!
Program Guide
Online Resources

Homebound/Hospitalized
Please visit Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website at http://www.doe.mass.edu/pqa/ta/hhep_qa.html for important information and   http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/28MR/ for the required forms.  

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