PAC.ED

An effective and truly collaborative partnership between the Special School District of St. Louis County (SSD) and the School District of Clayton (SDC) is essential for the success of students. While students with disabilities may receive support and instruction from SSD teachers, therapists, and staff, they are first and foremost School District of Clayton students. Family engagement and collaboration on behalf of their students in this "dual district" partnership is critical to ensure that their experiences and education are truly equitable and inclusive.

If you are interested in being involved or have any questions, please email Clayton PAC.ED.

Your generous support has helped us to accomplished so much:

• "Project Sensory Box" -  the curation and distribution of sensory boxes and mindfulness kits, positively impacting 20 families!
• "Disability Awareness Video Showcase" - purchase of video streaming rights of eight films.
• "Intelligent Lives", the award winning documentary. 
  • Community wide screening of "Intelligent Lives", followed by a panel discussion with regional and national experts in education, advocacy, and Inclusion, several of whom also have disabilities and appear in the documentary.
  • Purchase of video streaming rights in order to make them available to the community on an ongoing basis.  
• An NSPRA 2022: Publications and Digital Media Award of Excellence for the Disability History & Awareness Month Video Series created in collaboration with our community partners and the School District of Clayton Communications Dept..
• Inclusion Awards & Event
• Charting the LifeCourse training for families and their students.

Two (2) ways to make contributions to PAC.ED:

1. Click on the DONATE button above.  Most major credit cards are accepted.
2. Drop off or mail your donation to the School District of Clayton Attention: PAC.ED,  #2 Mark Twain Circle, Clayton, MO 63105. 

All contributions should be made payable to the School District of Clayton (please put PAC.ED in the memo section of a check). The School District of Clayton is a legal educational corporate organization formed under Chapter 162 of the Missouri Revised Statutes. The school district is not a taxable entity and is considered a qualified education organization for purposes of donating funds, goods or services. Gifts made directly to a Missouri school district can be treated as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes as they are compliant with Section 170(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code.  
 
If you have any additional questions, please contact the PAC.ED. Clayton PAC.ED thanks you for your generous support!

Donate to the Clayton PAC.ED

Open lines of communication between families and school are absolutely essential for student success, and that communication should be as easy as possible.  To that end, if you have a question, concern, suggestion or requests regarding your student and the education and/or special education services he/she/they/them receives in the School District of Clayton, please reach out!

Communication, Communication, Communication is the key!

1. Communication regarding your student, should start with their team.  Start by connecting with those closest to the issue; a teacher, therapist, or case manager. If after communicating with those team members, you feel as though you have not been heard or the matter has not been resolved, keep communicating and follow the communication sequence.
2. Communication is also important when things are going well! Administrators, teachers, therapists, and staff, enjoy hearing about how both the big and small things can make a positive impact on a student and their family. Special School District (SSD) has an open invitation for families to let them know what’s going well, offer suggestions, submit concerns or make general comments. Visit SSD's Let’s Talk site to share your thoughts. 

3. As a family or community member, you may also want to reach out to PAC.ED! If you have any questions, please contact Meghan Lenihan, Clayton PAC.ED President at the District PAC.ED email.

The School District of Clayton works cooperatively with the Special School District (SSD) of St. Louis County to provide services for students with disabilities.  For more information, visit the Special School District of St. Louis County's website.

The Clayton PAC.ED encourages families to become familiar with the Special School District (SSD) website. It contains valuable information and resources to assist families as they collaborate with school teams and advocate on behalf of their student(s). 

FACE (Family & Community Engagement)

FACE partners with students, families, and staff to support students' specialized academic, social, and emotional needs to promote self-determination, equitable opportunities, and authentic inclusion. FACE offers a wide variety of virtual and in-person workshops, family networking sessions, and resource sessions that are available to all families in St. Louis County, regardless of if their student receives services from Special School District. For more information on family resources, workshops, visit the FACE webpage on the SSD website.

Special School District Parent Advisory Council (SSD PAC)

The mission of the Special School District (SSD) Parent Advisory Council (PAC) is to effectively collaborate with and advise its stakeholders (including parents/guardians, the SSD Board of Education, Governing Council, SSD administration and staff, and partnering school district administrators and staff) in order to improve the educational, self-efficacy, and social outcomes of each student served by SSD. 
The PAC consists of five parents or guardians – one voting member and four alternates – from each of the 22 (twenty-two) St. Louis County school districts and 5 (five) SSD schools.

The SSD PAC is legislatively mandated and operates as a separate organization from the School District of Clayton PACED.  However, due to the nature of the "dual district" structure that exists uniquely in St. Louis County, both organizations benefit from ongoing engagement, support, and collaboration. It is not uncommon for members of the Clayton PACED to represent the School District of Clayton on the SSD PAC.

SSD PAC meetings are held virtually via Zoom from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. every 2nd Wednesday of the month August through May, except for March. All meeting are open to the public. Prior meetings are available for viewing on SSD PAC YouTube.

For more information, visit the SSD PAC Website. 

In May 2011, the Missouri legislature passed House Bill 555, which authorizes school boards to require the provision of disability history and awareness instruction in public schools during the month of October of each year.  House Bill 555 further requires the month of October to be designated "Disability History and Awareness Month".

House Bill 555 was sponsored by Representative Jeff Grisamore and was actively supported by disability advocates across Missouri.  Many Missouri disability organizations advocated with legislative leaders, provided testimony on behalf of the bill, and worked diligently to see the bill move successfully through the legislative session.

The goals of disability history and awareness instruction in House Bill 555 are:

• Instilling in students sensitivity for fellow students with disabilities and encouraging educational cultures that nurture safe and inclusive environments for students with disabilities in which bullying is discouraged and respect and appreciation for students with disabilities is encouraged;
• An understanding that disability is a natural part of the human experience; we are all more alike than different; and regardless of disability, every citizen is afforded the same rights and responsibilities as that of any other;
• The creation of a more inclusive school community, where students with disabilities are included in every aspect of society, and every student is acknowledged for their unique gifts, talents, and contributions; and
• Reaffirmation of the local, state, and federal commitment to the full inclusion in society of, and the equal opportunity for, all individuals with disabilities.

Disability History Proclamation

Other Resources

What is Abelism? It is discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities.

• Forbes - Words Matter, And It’s Time To Explore The Meaning Of “Ableism.”- Words Matter, And It’s Time To Explore The Meaning Of “Ableism.” (forbes.com)
• Hand Talk - Ableism: what is it, examples, consequences and how to fight it. - Ableism: what is it, examples, consequences and how to fight it (handtalk.me)
• PBS Wisconsin Education - Ableism - YouTube

162.946. 1. Each district school board may require schools within the district to provide disability history and awareness instruction in all K-12 public schools during the month of October of each year. The month of October shall be designated "Disability History and Awareness Month".

2. During disability history and awareness month, students may be provided instruction to expand their knowledge, understanding, and awareness of individuals with disabilities, the history of disability, and the disability rights movement.

3. Disability history may include the events and time lines of the development and evolution of services to, and the civil rights of, individuals with disabilities. Disability history may also include the contributions of specific individuals with disabilities, including the contributions of acknowledged national leaders. The instruction may be integrated into the existing school curriculum in ways including, but not limited to, supplementing lesson plans, inviting classroom and assembly speakers with experience or expertise on disabilities, or providing other school-related activities. The instruction may be delivered by qualified school personnel or by knowledgeable guest speakers.

4. The goals of the disability history and awareness instruction include:

(1) Instilling in students sensitivity for fellow students with disabilities and encouraging educational cultures that nurture safe and inclusive environments for students with disabilities in which bullying is discouraged and respect and appreciation for students with disabilities is encouraged;

(2) An understanding that disability is a natural part of the human experience; we are all more alike than different; and regardless of disability, every citizen is afforded the same rights and responsibilities as that of any other;

(3) The creation of a more inclusive school community, where students with disabilities are included in every aspect of society, and every student is acknowledged for their unique gifts, talents, and contributions; and

(4) Reaffirmation of the local, state, and federal commitment to the full inclusion in society of, and the equal opportunity for, all individuals with disabilities.

The department of elementary and secondary education may identify and adopt preliminary guidelines for each district school board to use to develop its curriculum that incorporates these goals for the disability history and awareness instruction. In respect of local control, school districts are encouraged to exercise innovation that accomplishes the above-stated goals.

5. Institutions of higher education within the state are encouraged to conduct and promote activities on individual campuses that provide education, understanding, and awareness of individuals with disabilities.

Lionel Messi (Autism/Asperger’s syndrome) - Professional Soccer Player
Widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, he has also been open about his diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome. The Argentine superstar has overcome his difficulties with social interaction and communication to lead his team to numerous championships and win numerous individual accolades.

Temple Grandin (Autism) Speaker, Author, Activist, Inventor, & Professor
Temple is a prominent speaker and author with autism. She has always been passionate about animals and has written many books on animal treatment and safety. She is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. Beyond this, she works as a consultant on animal welfare and livestock handling equipment design. She has created many new and innovative animal care treatments. She was on the Time 100, the list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2010. About Temple Grandin. https://www.templegrandin.com

Haben Girma (Deaf/Blind) - American Disabilities Rights Advocate, Attorney, Speaker, Author, and first deaf-blind graduate from Harvard Law School
The first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, Haben Girma is a human rights lawyer advancing disability justice. President Obama named her a White House Champion of Change. She received the Helen Keller Achievement Award, a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and TIME100 Talks. President Bill Clinton, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Chancellor Angela Merkel have all honored Haben. Haben believes disability is an opportunity for innovation, and she teaches organizations the importance of choosing inclusion. The New York Times, Oprah Magazine, and TODAY Show featured her memoir, Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. More on Haben Gima. 

Jamie Oliver (ADHD & Dyslexia) - Chef, Author, TV Personality, and Activist
A prominent and successful name in the world of cookery, Jamie Oliver was 38 years old when he completed reading his first full novel, Catching Fire. Does that make him any less worthy of all his fame and popularity? Absolutely not. Dyslexia has made Jamie leave school with two GCSEs only. He has marked his secondary school days as rough times where everybody acknowledged his special needs, but nobody did much to help him overcome that.

Jamie acknowledges his difficulty in writing and reading freely and does not find it awkward. Though he has a number of cookbooks penned by him, he has his editor check them for all the spellings as Jamie knows his own weaknesses. When asked about how he accepts dyslexia, its consequences in his life, and how he coped with it, Jamie responds that it is the idea and passion that matter the most, not whether you are good at everything. According to Jamie, stepping outside his comfort zone and looking up to other ‘dyslexic heroes’ such as Paul Smith and Richard Branson motivated him. He ignores cynical people and believes that all of us can do anything we want, dyslexic or not, for “the sky’s the limit.”

David Beckham (Tourette Syndrome) - Professional Soccer Player
David Beckham is one of the most celebrated English football players of his generation, but most fans are not aware that David has Tourette’s Syndrome manifested through OCD.

Simone Biles (ADHD) - Gymnast
Olympic Gold Medalist, as well as winner of multiple U.S. and World Championships. 

Gloria Lenhoff, (Williams syndrome) - world-renowned Soprano
Gloria can sing nearly 2,500 songs in more than 30 different languages, amazingly, all in a perfect accent. She has collaborated with various world class symphonies and other popular bands, including Aerosmith.  

Farida Bedwei (Cerebral Palsy)
Software Engineer, Inventor, & Entrepreneur. Farida Bedwei was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age one, and went on to become a software engineer and the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Logiciel, a Ghanaian financial software company. She invented a cloud software platform that is used by 130 micro-finance companies across Ghana. In 2013, South Africa’s CEO Magazine named Bedwei the most influential woman in government and business in Africa for the financial sector.

Sofía Jirau (Down syndrome) model, entrepreneur, disability rights activist, and philanthropist
In 2022, she was Victoria’s Secrets first model with Down Syndrome. She shows the world that “inside and out there are no limits”.