Third Thursday: Families find support for special education students

As a parent of two special education students at Bonney Lake High School and Mountain View Middle School, Meghan Albers wanted to know what happens when her children turn 16, 18 and 21.

When she first heard about Sumner Bonney Lake School District’s special services family information series, called Third Thursday, she was immediately interested in attending. 

“When you have to make all the choices that determine your child's future path, it's important to know what resources, programs, and assistance they will have access to and how to navigate the system to provide them with a secure future,” Meghan said.

That system can be complex and confusing, but Third Thursday can help. The series, unique to SBLSD, was started after staff found that parents and guardians needed a setting where they could ask questions about their particular families’ needs with trusted professionals. Whether it be filling out paperwork or learning about financial planning, they needed help beyond a booth at a one-time resource fair. 

A four-month series, Third Thursday brings resources straight to the families who need them.  

“It was one of the best things I have ever done,” Meghan said about joining Third Thursday. “We were able to get real information in real time and have our questions answered, not only by people currently in the field, but by other parents with children of various ages.”

Heather McCann attended a Third Thursday meeting this year to know what to do when her daughter, a Sumner High student, turns 18 this year. Parents like her were asking questions about living situations and what benefits their children might qualify for. 

“It was helpful to hear from a person, rather than try to navigate the system online,” she said. 

Michele Lehosky, executive director the Pierce County Coalition for Developmental Disabilities, was one of the professionals helping parents at a Third Thursday meeting this year. The coalition, known as PC2, works to find, inform, educate, and empower individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. 

“Third Thursdays give families a casual, supportive environment to be able to ask questions and get the support and resources they need for their child,” Michele said.

As a parent of a son with Down syndrome, she can directly relate to what the parents she works with are going through. They have to navigate through school special education, through the medical system, through the Developmental Disabilities Administration. 

“When their students turn 18 and transition into the Community-Based Transition Program, parents feel like they've just learned the school system and now they're out in the world and having to learn about Social Security, about housing, about jobs for individuals with developmental disabilities and who can help them find what they need for their loved one,” she said. 

That’s why it’s good to start early, before their student turns 18, said Kristine Nelson, school psychologist and transition coordinator for the district. 

Now Meghan’s daughter, Skylar, has a plan for after her senior year to attend the Community-Based Transition Program, where she hopes to continue working as a janitorial intern.

“I do feel better prepared for the future,” said Meghan. 

SBLSD hosts four Third Thursday meetings each year. For details, visit sumnersd.org/ThirdThursday.

Aside from Third Thursday, the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District provides transition services for students with disabilities, which includes writing a transition plan with post-secondary goals and the pathway to achieve those goals, including the student, parent and school Individualized Education Program (IEP) team working together with disability service agencies. Learn more about our Special Services Department at sumnersd.org/specialservices.