Legislators from Greater Boston attended a meeting on Feb. 5 at the Walker School in Needham to discuss  legislative and budget issues pertaining to Chapter 766—private special education schools. The Walker School, where the meeting was held, is an academic day and residential program for children with high-risk behaviors, chronic mental illness, language disorders, learning disabilities and/or high-functioning autism spectrum disorders.

Representatives Jonathan Hecht (D- Watertown) , Charley Murphy (D- Burlington), and David Linksy (D- Natick) 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 Walker 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.

To learn more about maaps, visit http://www.maaps.org.