Pittsford SEPTA (Special Education PTA) was founded in 2021 to create a strong team who collaborate creatively to provide information, resources, and support to caregivers, families, and staff of students who require specially designed instruction. We are an independent unit under the NYS PTA serving the Pittsford Central School District. We seek to inform, support, and advocate for the unique and diverse learning needs of our students. This includes students who have a 504 plan, IEP, or who may be struggling academically due to any number of factors ranging from disability to giftedness, or a combination thereof. Our hope is that children receiving special education services will be better understood, integrated, and embraced by their schools and communities, in order to achieve meaningful inclusion of all students and adults with diverse abilities in all spaces. 

Guided by our three tenets of Inclusion, Advocacy, and Collaboration, we host parent information workshops each month to address the most relevant topics for our stakeholders! Some of SEPTA's most impactful contributions have been in the form of our monthly meetings, newsletters, an ongoing Parent/Caregiver Support Group facilitated by Pittsford Youth Services, and our collaborative partnership with school district leadership. 

Goals and Objectives:

• To be a positive and solution-oriented group, serving as a resource to families of children with diverse learning needs from preschool through their transition from high school.

• To advocate as needed in order to ensure that the educational, social, and emotional needs of our students and their families are met.

• To provide education, resources and support to teachers, students, caregivers, and the broader community regarding Special Education issues and services.

• To collaborate with the Pittsford Central School District on relevant issues pertaining to Special Education Services, and to amplify the voices of students with IEPs or 504 plans, as well as their parents and caregivers. 

As individuals with diverse learning needs and the parents and caregivers who love and support them, our journeys are often very different. We aim to make sure that all students and their families feel a sense of belonging here in PCSD.