What is the Issaquah School District Special Education PTSA Network?

The Issaquah School District Special Education PTSA Network (the Network) is made up of members from all the PTSAs within the Issaquah School District. We strongly believe in your student and your family being an inclusive part of the school community that you attend, and our group is set up to foster that relationship. If you are a member of your school’s PTSA, then you are included in this group. There is no separate membership required.

My name is Betsy Grant and I am the chairperson of the Network. I am the mother of 4 children currently in Issaquah Schools District (ISD) – a freshman at Issaquah High School, a freshman at Gibson Ek High School, and two 5th graders at Clark Elementary. My son at Issaquah High School has a rare genetic disorder that has caused global developmental disabilities and epilepsy. He has received support from LRC2 classrooms in ISD starting from preschool through now. I’ve been working in this position since August 2020. My volunteer position is part of the ISD PTSA Council that supports all the ISD PTSA units. The Special Education group was originally organized as a small committee, but I’ve expanded it to the larger network.

The Network is continually working towards improving communication between families and ISD and towards providing ISD families with special education students a resource for answers to common issues. We regularly advocate with ISD administration leaders, administer a Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/issaquahspecialed/), update PTSA presidents monthly at our Issaquah Council meetings, and we’ve created a series of webinars that can be found on the ISD Council website (https://www. issaquahptsa.org/programs/specialeducation). The Network is working towards having a representative on each school’s PTSA to represent the students with special needs of our community. We are making great strides towards our goals and are always working to expand and improve how we can support special education families in ISD. If you are interested in volunteering as a Special Education Representative with your school’s PTSA or you would like additional information on the ISD PTSA Special Education Network, please email special-education@issaquahptsa.org.