Photo: (Left to Right) – Rep. Michlewitz, Sen. Petruccelli, Rep. Forry, Beth Labbe – COMPASS School Principal, John Lydon, Exec. Director COMPASS, Sen. Chang-Diaz, Rep. Walsh and Sen. Hart at maaps’ Legislative Meeting on Monday at the COMPASS School in Dorchester.
Legislators from Boston attended a meeting this week at COMPASS School in Dorchester to discuss legislative and budget issues pertaining to Chapter 766 – private special education schools. The COMPASS School where the meeting was held is a community-based, non-profit, social service agency and special needs school that provides comprehensive educational, counseling and support services to high-risk youth and families.
Representatives Walsh, Forry, Michlewitz and Senators Hart, Chang-Diaz, and Petrucelli attended the meeting. The meeting was organized by the Massachusetts Association of 766 Approved Private Schools (maaps) whose member school students have some of the most extensive and challenging special needs of all children in Massachusetts including: autism, blindness, deafness, and developmental delays.
“Special education students at maaps member schools are faced with some of the most extensive challenges of all children in Massachusetts,” said Jim Major, Executive Director of maaps. “Special education schools like the COMPASS School, play a vital role in assisting the state with thousands of its special needs children by providing highly specialized education and treatment that the public schools are not equipped to provide.”
maaps and its special education school members are holding a series of regional legislative meetings across the state. The meetings allow maaps’ staff, member schools, and parents, to meet with their state senators and representatives and to engage in dialog about Chapter 766 – school statewide issues.
About maaps:
The Massachusetts Association of 766 Approved Private Schools (maaps) is a non-profit association whose member schools provide educational programs and services to students with special needs throughout Massachusetts. The schools operate over 150 day and residential programs and schools, providing education and treatment to over 6,000 Massachusetts students with disabilities. They bring over $162 million into the Commonwealth’s economy in tuition payments for out-of-state students, and employ over 10,000 teachers, clinicians, residential care and other staff. For many of the students, maaps schools represent their first real opportunity for hope, achievement and to become productive members of society. To learn more about maaps, please visit http://www.maaps.org
