The Acton-Boxborough Special Education Parent Advisory Council (AB SpEd PAC) is a volunteer group of parents who care about special education. They come together to share experiences and become empowered participants in their children’s education. As an organization their combined voices help ensure that parents’ priorities stay on the school district’s agenda. Typical activities include educational speakers and workshops on topics of interest to families, a parent support group, the creation and maintenance of informational materials and resources including a website, and social events to help connect families. In Massachusetts, state law mandates the existence of a special education PAC in every school district.The organization’s responsibilities include advising the district on matters that pertain to the education and safety of students with disabilities and meeting regularly with school officials to participate in the planning, development and evaluation of the school district’s special education programs.
In 2011 the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education published an instructional document for PACs titled Guidance for Special Education PACs. This document identified two different ways that PACs could manage their funds. One method was holding funds publicly through the schools and the other was creating a private Friends of organization to handle fundraising for the PAC. The AB SpEd PAC AB SpEd PAC voted to create a Friends of AB SpEd PAC organization to allow for private control of its finances, as requisitioning funds through the public schools can be a cumbersome and time consuming process. In 2011 the Friends of AB SpEd PAC, Ltd. was formed. The Friends organization is a non-profit 501(c)(3) created to raise funds to support the needs of special education students and families in the Acton-Boxborough School District. The funds we raise go directly towards bringing high quality speakers and workshops into our school district for parents and educators, creating valuable resources for our community, and hosting family events and activities to connect families within our school district and the broader community.