The Debbie Esposito Family-School Partnership Award
On June 13th at the 2nd Annual NJ-SSEAC Special Education Celebration, we honored Debbie Esposito and her memory by presenting the 1st annual Debbie Esposito Family-School Partnership Award to Union SEPAG’s Co-Leaders Carla Vicari and Aracely DiGirolamo. The criteria for the award included:
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- Acknowledgement of the group’s advocacy work for all families.
- Builds/sustains strong collaboration between parents and district
- Builds capacity for advocacy and constructs ongoing sustainability for efforts to support special education
- Able to teach, empower, and mentor other families in special education best practices.
- Innovative in their approach to collaboration, family engagement, and special education related activities
Carla and Aracely have been effective in leading their SEPAG through the challenging times of COVID and remote learning and always focusing on partnering with the district on creating programs, policies and practices that improve the outcomes for all students. They actively attend SPAN’s workshops, trainings and roundtables and bring the tools and knowledge they gain back to their group. They are a shining example of parent leaders who embrace the spirit of SPAN and are truly empowered and effective leaders in their district.
