2023-2024 SEAC Committee
Delta Charter School, MST Special Education Advisory Council
2024-25
Members
The council will consist of 8 members. Each member will be appointed for a one year term and will act as an advisory council to the superintendent and/or designee.
2024-25 Members
- Yasmine Crump - Parent (non-employee)
- Samantha Davis - Parent (non-employee)
- Melanie Morace - Parent (non-employee)
- Wendy Lancaster - Parent (non-employee)
- Jaxson Lancaster - Student Representative
- Ronnie Calhoun - Community Agency Representative
- Hannah Wheeler - Special Education Paraprofessional
- Jamie Hargis - Special Education Director (Chairperson)
Purpose
The Delta Charter School, MST Special Education Advisory Council (DCS SEAC) is an opportunity for parents, school staff, and community stakeholders to provide advice and feedback regarding special education policies, procedures, and resources.
The members of DCS SEAC shall engage in outreach activities in the community to increase the level of knowledge, support, and collaboration about special education.
The DCS SEAC will meet at least 3 times per school year. All meetings will be held at Delta Charter School, MST.
Meeting Dates
- October 23, 2024
- January 15, 2025
- April 16, 2025
Meeting minutes will be noted in red on the meeting agendas.
Delta Charter School, MST
Special Education Advisory Council
Agenda
October 23. 2024
- Welcome/Introductions
Members present were S. Davis, W. Lancaster, J. Lancaster, R. Calhoun, H. Wheeler, & J. Hargis
Y. Crump and M. Morace were absent.
- Purpose/Expectations
- Promote communication, collaboration, and trust among educators, parents, community members, and school district administrators
- Serve as a connection to the community regarding the role of public schools in addressing the needs of students with disabilities
After introductions, Mrs. Hargis explained the purpose of the committee to the members. A discussion was had about community awareness and community opportunities for our special needs students. The members agreed to focus on finding community opportunities for our students this year.
- Recap of Last Year’s Goals
- Special education student athletes will not receive run time for a grade of C on their weekly grade sheets.
Mrs. Hargis covered these expectations with the teachers and coaches during our choice board trainings in August.
- Delta Charter will have a more diverse population of students participating in everyday activities of the school. This is important in including children with exceptionalities as a part of our school culture.
This was also discussed with faculty at the beginning of the school year. Mr. Calhoun asked for specific examples. Mrs. Lancaster suggested things such as asking special needs students to help with setting up chairs for programs in the gym and helping with pick up of canned goods and candy when the school has food drives. She expressed her desire to see teachers choosing these students along with regular education students to help with these tasks in order to build community among our students.
- Delta Charter will provide more educational opportunities in daily living skills to prepare students for life after high school.
Delta Charter offers a life skills class in addition to courses where students can earn certificates in EMR, customer service, and environmental science.
- Reflections on Last Year’s Goals
- Implementation
- Suggestions for improvement
- Opportunities for Community Involvement
- Upcoming Events
Mr. Calhoun suggested the committee make an event calendar to share with parents to raise awareness of activities already offered in our community (on both sides of the river). Mrs. Hargis will work on this and will add Mr. Calhoun as a collaborator. Mrs. Lancaster will check with her contact in Natchez to get a list of events that are already scheduled. Ms. Davis would like to see activities for the younger children as well. Things we specifically discussed that we know already happen in our community were Autism Walk, Watson 5K run, Krewe of Phoenix Chili Cookoff, Brightest Stars Ball, Back the Blue BBQ, and Relay for Life. Mr. Calhoun will check with his contacts to find areas for our students to volunteer with these events. He also gave Mrs. Hargis names of a group of ladies in our community that host events specifically for special needs people such as Bingo Night as well as other various holiday activities. Mrs. Hargis will reach out to them to see if we can join in and/or host an activity as well. Mr. Calhoun stated he has a program for students after graduation that teaches them job skills and helps find employment for them.
- Closure
- Add future meetings to calendars
(1/15/25 & 4/16/25)
Our next meeting is scheduled for January, but Mrs. Hargis will contact members once we get our event calendar started so we can make parents aware of the activities.