Gov. Chris Christie this week recognized the nearly 250,000 school-age and preschool children who receive special education instruction in the state, and the teachers, parents, school administrators, and others who support them, by proclaiming “Special Education Week.”
The governor’s proclamation marks May 10 through May 16, 2015, as Special Education Week, whose theme this year is “Faces of Success.”
The proclamation was presented at the “Innovations in Special Education Awards” Special Education Week Celebration by Susan Martz, assistant commissioner of the Division of Student Services and Career Readiness of the New Jersey Department of Education.
In the proclamation, the governor “calls upon all residents to recognize the achievements of New Jersey’s special education students and the outstanding contributions made by educators, school board members, schools and agencies for the disabled, and their parents.”
The proclamation notes that more than 232,000 students receive special education instruction in the state’s public and private schools, and another 18,000 children receive special education instruction through preschool and early intervention programs.
The proclamation praises the “public school districts and private schools (that) make a major contribution to the public welfare by preparing thousands of exceptional persons to participate as citizens of this state and as members of society.”