Special education advocate creates community resource for Goshen students

Sarah White is a mother, wife, and practicing therapist, who serves as the Goshen chapter president of the Special Education Parent Teacher Student Association (SEPTSA). The organization’s mission is to serve as a community resource where parents, teachers, students, and administrators can come together in an effort to foster a welcoming and inclusive environment for special education youths. The Goshen chapter of SEPTSA, which boasts over 110 members, is currently the only New York State Parent Teacher Association operating within the Goshen Central School District.

White recently discussed the work that SEPTSA is doing, as well the issues that she has faced within district. “This started with me thinking it was going to be a support group,” White said. She spoke about the inception of what has now become Goshen SEPTSA, noting that she was only looking for a small group of parents and guardians who could share their experiences, and help each other with the challenges of raising special needs children. It came at a time when she was struggling with how to best help her own special needs son.

“I sent out a Facebook post to Orange County moms, just saying anyone out there who has kids who have 504s or IEPs [Individualized Education Plans], who is struggling to advocate within their district, or if you just need support. I got a huge response, so I booked an event space and waited to see who would show up.”

The designation 504 refers to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a federal civil rights law to stop discrimination against people with disabilities. It directs schools to provide free support and help students with special needs to learn alongside their peers.

White was surprised when over 20 people attended her event, but she also saw the need for a community outreach program for special needs students. From there, she contacted New York State PTA, who advised her to garner support, and a minimum of 25 members, to charter a SEPTSA chapter in the district. The next step was to organize what’s known as a round table meeting with district officials to determine whether to move forward with the operation. However, White claims that her meeting request was ignored for nearly three weeks. She claims that her reaching out to school officials was met with harsh tones, and hostility.

White told The Chronicle that her now 16-year-old son had been in the district’s special education programs since kindergarten, and has an IEP. She also noted that he had enjoyed a positive educational experience for the initial 11 years of his schooling. “When my son first came into the district we had an incredible amount of support.” However, in 2023, she claims to have noticed a major shift in the attitude towards special education students. White says that during her son’s freshman year of high school, he began to rack up disciplinary referrals from certain teachers as a result of worsening medical symptoms.

“There was a national shortage of one of his important medical interventions.” White explained. “A lot of his symptoms, specifically with stimming, started to come back. I let everybody know that this is beyond his control.” Still, her son was given 18 referrals over a five-month period. “It felt wildly misunderstood,” she said. “It was getting lumped into behavioral issues, when it’s so much bigger than that.” The mounting punitive disciplines, which White says read as a comprehensive checklist of the symptoms of his condition, ultimately led to her son leaving the district in September, when he asked to be homeschooled.

White says that the issue may not have been with individual teachers, but the district at large. “In hindsight, I’m asking myself whether these teachers are working in an environment where they can’t really be advocates [for special education]. Are they getting the professional development that they need? Are they getting the support that they need?”

But those obstacles haven’t slowed her advocacy. She spoke on the work that SEPTSA is doing, noting that the organization is meant to support students, first and foremost, but teachers and parents as well. In the face of adversity, and even hostility, White and the Goshen chapter of SEPTSA have been hard at work this school year, helping to support students with a variety of needs to feel more comfortable at school. “We’ve already held four educational workshops, with experts in the field of special education.”

White added that they have also hosted five “calm rooms,” which are sensory friendly spaces provided by the school during events like dances, Halloween parades, prom, where students with sensory overload issues can go to limit their exposure to triggering environmental factors. Last week the group started its first sensory yoga series. The group has also been approved for a grant through Orange County, and White said they are planning several fundraising events in hopes of continuing to promote and support special Ed in Goshen.

White continues to affect positive change through communication. She has now become an advocate for the many Orange County students in need of assistance beyond what their school districts provide.