From left – Rina Horne, principal of PS 212; Randi Garay; Mallory Figueroa; Councilman Mark Treyger; Georgette Pezzolanti, Family Leadership Coordinator for Community School District 21; Mary Montemarano, Family Leadership Support Coordinator for Community School District 21. (Megan McGibney/BKLYNER)GRAVESEND – Thursday night at PS 212 on Bay 49th Street sawparents and educators gather for an event aimed at helping parents of children with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) in District 21. The whole idea for this event came into being, thanks to PS 216 Parent Coordinator, Mallory Figueroa and Randi Garay, PS 212’s PTA President, who are, as they say, “IEP parents” themselves.“I got an email from Understood about two months ago,” said Figueroa, whose son has ADHD. “And I thought ‘this is really going to help them’. I got such a feedback during a PTA meeting. It lasted two hours, normally those meetings are shorter.”Understood is a non-profit organization and a wonderful resource for parents that encourages and empowers them to advocate for their children in need extra support. In this case, through something as simple as an IEP binder – something that helps parents better understand, organize and stay on top of all the paperwork and process involved with IEPs.Not wanting to limit this opportunity to PS 216, Figueroa reached out to the PTA President of her son’s school, Randi Garay, whose daughter had a form of autism. The two began to work together to create this much needed event for parents like themselves – 18% of District 21’s students have IEPs. Mallory Figueroa tells her IEP story to parents at the event“We really wanted to offer this event to the whole district,” Garay explained. “As they say, it takes a village to raise a child.”About 60 parents from all over the district came to PS 212’s auditorium to learn, and get organized to better advocate for their children’s needs. The binders had notes on how to make smart goals for an IEP child, and dividers to help organize evaluations, communications and behaviors (You can download all the resources at this link). Matthew Lurrie, a field manager from Understood, told the parents what each section could do for them as they navigate the system, and offered words of encouragement. “The main goals is to break down the stigma,” Lurrie said after the event. “The more parents speak openly, the more they can help their child. It is not something to be ashamed of.”Councilmember Mark Treyger, who represents the district and is the new head of the City’s Education Committee, was there. A former teacher himself, he was thrilled to see the district come together for such a goal.“The beauty of this event is the celebration of the learning process,” the Councilman said. “Children come here to learn. But we also learn about them. This is very important. I commend the school community for doing this. We all want them [the students] to succeed.”Understood’s binders are a way to help parents organize themselves as they navigate through the IEP, which is mandated by the federal government whenever a child is diagnosed with a learning or developmental disability. They include dyslexia, speech development, and attention issues.
“This will help keep everything organized,” Garay said. “It’s all here. It is the first step in getting what you need for your child.”“Parents need to be educated on the process so they can learn how to ask the right questions,” she added. “Some parents are afraid of labeling their child because they don’t want it to follow them their whole life; they think it will hurt them. The only thing that will hurt them is not getting the help they need.”Figueroa agreed.“This would teach parents that they have rights,” Figueroa said. “They have a right to disagree.”After the initial assembly meeting, the parents came out to the cafeteria to grab catered food and to discuss what they had learned among themselves. Figueroa took the time to tell her IEP story in front of the parents. Her son, who is in third grade, is on reading level thanks to the support and services he receives from having an IEP. “Don’t miss any IEP meetings,” she told them. “They’re very, very important.”Two parents in attendance, Anna Lembersky and Ume Kulsoom Butt, seemed thrilled with how Figueroa and Garay brought about this meeting. Lembersky works as PTA President at Kingsborough Early College Secondary School, where she said about 40% of the students have IEPs, while Butt, a former PTA co-president at PS 253, has a son with autism.“A lot of parents don’t know where to turn,” Lembersky said. “And unfortunately, parents don’t ask a lot of questions.”“I have information I can share so they’ll know,” Butt said. “A lot don’t know what to do. Some do not speak English. I speak four languages so I can help.”As the gathering wound down, parents thanked Garay and Figueroa for arranging for the event, with many pleased to receive the Understood binders and to be encouraged. Both mothers seemed enthusiastic about the difference they made in the parents’ lives.“Fight for your kids,” Garay said. “Don’t settle for no. You don’t have to agree with what is said. But it is not us vs them. We’re a team working together, the main goal is our children. No teacher wants to see a child fail, they’re here to help.”“My child has exemplary teachers at PS 212 which is why she’s declassified and no longer needs an IEP,” she adds.
