Riverhead Parents Form Special Education Parent-Teacher Association

In a meeting at the Riverhead Public Library, the Riverhead Special Education PTA (SEPTA) officially came into the fold of the Suffolk Region PTA, adopted bylaws and chose its officers.

When Joan Wabnik, Associate Director of the Suffolk Region PTA, asked for “Ayes” in regards to carrying the motion to install SEPTA, there was unanimous approval.

David Enos, principal of the Riley Avenue School, which serves students K-4,  said the formation of SEPTA “shows the community’s commitment and change over time.”

He said that “eight to ten years ago” a number of parents had formed a SEPTA in Riverhead, “but it didn’t get the attendance you see here, it didn’t get to the point of formality.”

There were about fifty people at the Wednesday night meeting. Lisa Wild, Suffolk Region PTA bylaws chair, who oversaw the motion to approve the Riverhead SEPTA bylaws, said that at each meeting, “10 members are needed to do business.” The six-member board can be counted among that 10.

Thirty-five people at the meeting enrolled as members of Riverhead SEPTA.

The first officers of Riverhead SEPTA are: co-presidents Arlene Gagliano and Lori Marin, vice president Guy DiCosola, treasurer Virginia Healy, recording secretary Dawn Bozuhoski  and corresponding secretary Stephanie Farnum.

Gagliano and Marin, who have been essential behind the formation of Riverhead SEPTA, first met when both were seeking information for their children through the Nassau-Suffolk Autism Society.

The Riley Avenue School will be hosting future SEPTA meetings, beginning Sept. 14 and the first Wednesday of Each month thereafter.

Principal Enos said, “You can’t have enough home/school communication, especially for this population.”

In response to whether there is actually an increase in conditions such as autism and ADHD, which require special education services, Enos said, “I don’t know if anyone can say exactly, but we are certainly more aware of the different difficulties that some children face, including problems that were always common, such as stuttering and speech development. Kids with those problems were never helped by schools in the past.”

One of the financial hurdles that every school district faces in servicing its special-needs children is the state mandated programs that the district has to fund from its own budget.

Angela DeVito, a Riverhead Board of Education member said, “Twenty-three percent of our budget goes to unfunded state mandates.”

The new SEPTA co-president, Arlene Gagliano, said the board would be forming specific goals over the summer, which would always be guided by four words: “Education, community, support and tolerance.”

She added, “We want the community to be tolerant of special needs children. Awareness will bring tolerance and that can only be great for everyone. Education is the most important thing."