Establish annual priorities, goals, and meetings.

• Work with district leaders to set priorities for new or improved programs and services, based on input.
• Plan to write an annual report to the local Board of Education.
• Establish resources within the school and community to support engagement and participation. School and community can provide help with logistics such as:
  • Securing meeting spaces
  • Childcare during meetings
  • Transportation
  • Interpreters
  • Refreshments

Use a website and other digital tools to create a centralized knowledge base for standard documents and communications, including:

• Membership rosters
• Descriptions of roles and responsibilities
• Bylaws (if applicable)
• Templates for quarterly and annual reports
• Templates for meeting formats, agendas, minutes, contact info, invitations, etc.
• SEPAC guidelines concerning meeting etiquette
• SEPAC new member orientation information
• Lists of school and community resources
• Special education regulations and laws
• Surveys used to gather input
• Print and online formats for a SEPAC flyer/brochure
• Links to the local, regional or county, State and US Department of Education

Use a variety of meeting formats geared to different goals.

• Regular SEPAC members-only meetings: These meetings focus the agenda on organizing input, defining systemic issues, and collaborative problem-solving.
  • Include time to discuss outreach efforts, communications, and connections with schools and community.
• SEPAC meetings with a specific topic and guest speaker: These meetings can attract parents who want to learn more about a particular topic, and are a great way to build awareness of the SEPAC and its purpose. SEPACs have invited speakers from outside the district to present on topics such as delayed readers, executive functioning, social skills, transition, and the IEP process, to name a few.
  • It is a good idea to share the names of possible guest speakers with district leaders before extending an invitation.
• SEPAC meetings with district leadership: Best practices call for a regular meeting in which parent advisors and school leadership explore systemic issues, suggestions, and solutions.

Develop relationships at all levels.

• A local SEPAC can help foster partnership and collaboration with families, schools, and the community, both locally and across districts.
  • Encourage parents to sign up as a representative to other groups in the school community.
  • Embrace a diverse cross-section of parents, schools, and a range of disabilities. Be proactive—for example, if the SEPAC lacks representation from high schools, make ‘improving transition’ part of the annual agenda.
  • Establish relationships with public service organizations: libraries, intramural sports, police, transportation, faith-based groups, and others. SEPACs that reach out to such groups find resources for programs and services and volunteer speakers for topic meetings.
  • Encourage school staff and Child Study Teams to attend outreach meetings as a part of the group.
  • Successful SEPACs have found that administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals, and other educational professionals want to connect with parents in a neutral, collaborative setting. They can also serve as guest speakers on a number of topics.
  • Assign a group member to serve as a SEPAC representative at local Board of Education public meetings.

Forge a network of communications channels.

• Set up social media accounts for the SEPAC.
• Request space on the District website, sites for local schools, and PTA/PTO sites.
• Set up a SEPAC email address that directs parents to SEPAC leaders.
• Create private distribution lists for parents of children of disabilities; remember that not all parents have email, but almost all will have phones, so text messaging can be a very useful tool.
• Ask the PTA/PTO to send out email blasts—they have generic lists for all parents.
• Give printed materials to Child Study Teams and special education staff for distribution.