Lynn parents advisory council plans workshops

LYNN – Retired Navy recruiter Shawn Tarasuik has gone from educating special forces to educating people about children with special needs and he already making waves.Tarasuik is president of the Lynn Parent Advisory Council or Lynn PAC, a twist even he admits is ironic since it wasn’t that long ago he sued the School District for failing to meet his child’s needs.”It’s kind of weird how it transpired,” he said. “I took them to court and now we’re working together.”According to state law each district must have a parent advisory council to facilitate communication between parents and administrators and that goes for the Special Education community as well.Lynn has an estimated 2,400 students with special needs and Tarasuik said by and large he didn’t think their needs were being met very well. His now 8-year old son was in kindergarten when he sued for services and won he said.”My son taught me patience,” he said.Born and bred in Lynn Tarasuik joined the Navy in 1988, left the city but returned in 2009.”I was an at large for two or three years with Lynn PAC and during those two or three years no one ever did anything,” he said.Tarasuik said the past few presidents did more to establish an adversarial relationship between the PAC and the School Department than to advance any cause or plan.”Nothing was being done,” he said. “It was time for us to take charge ? We’re much more organized now and there’s no more animosity.”Tarasuik called new PAC’s first meeting, held in November, which included parents as well as school officials and School Committee members, a fresh start toward working together.The group has a website with calendar events, meeting minutes, resources and contact information. He is in regular contact with Cheryl Mennino, who heads up the district’s Special Education Department and Tarasuik also has training days scheduled, the first Monday of each month at 6 p.m. at 10 Church St. for parents on a variety of issues.”We’re providing training for parents of children with special needs,” he said. “That really hasn’t been done in the past.”The first training session, Jan. 7, will feature a behaviorist who focus on signs that might suggest a child has autism, Aspergers or special needs in general. The Department of Education will also make a presentation on laws pertaining to special education students later in the year.Tarasuik said he’s also working on establishing relationships with groups like Northeast ARC, which provides support for people with disabilities and their families and the May Institute, which provides a variety of healthcare services to individuals with developmental disabilities, brain injury, mental illness, and behavioral health needs.Tarasuik said the PAC is also looking to establish summer programs for the special needs population.”The city has some programs for half the summer for some of the children,” he said.He would like to see a program that simply gives the kids a chance to socialize with each other three of four times a week.”It’s about building stepping stones for these children’s futures,” he said.The PAC has put out feelers to see what other concerns parents might have.Tarasuik admitted he’s enjoying his new role as president.”People ask me how do you go from training Navy Seals to training parents of special needs kids,” he said with a laugh. “I say ?I used to work with special guys in the Navy now I’m working with special kids.'”To see more of what Tarasuik and Lynn PAC are up to check out its website, http://488495202969371496.weebly.com/.Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].