Cinnaminson Township, which is a small school district in Burlington County, had a well-established SEPAG in the past but as children graduated, parent leaders moved on. The parents currently in the district wanted an advisory group that addressed system-level challenges affecting students with disabilities and their families — in other words, a Special Education Parent Advisory Group (SEPAG).
In 2017, parents reached out to the START-Engaging Parents of Students with Disabilities (START-EPSD) Project at SPAN Parent Advocacy Network to request assistance in forming a SEPAG. Over the last two years, the Parent Group Specialist from the START-EPSD project has worked with the group of parent leaders to begin a SEPAG by building their capacity through workshops and team building activities , and by providing opportunities to network with parent leaders from other SEPAGs.
As a result, the Cinnaminson SEPAG has established ground rules for their meetings, agreed on a mission and vision statement , and created and distributed a parent survey to all families of the district. In addition, SEPAG leaders discussed, prioritized, and addressed systemic issues concerning special education. Because of this dialog, the district added a SEPAG link to the parent tab on the Cinnaminson Township Public School website. They also created outreach materials, increased parent involvement, and collaborated with the Child Study Team to present a training focused on parental rights in the IEP process.
All of the parents and the new Child Study Team Director, Darlene Llewellyn, play a vital role in the success of the SEPAG. They work together to bridge communication between families, schools, and the community to ensure students with special needs reach their fullest potential.
For more information, you can email the Cinnaminson SEPAG at cinnaminson.sepag1@gmail.com.
Also, please visit and “like” the Cinnaminson SEPAG Facebook page where you can view meeting minutes, complete the parent survey (if you are a Cinnaminson resident), and hear about upcoming events.
