If you’re a parent with a child who needs extra help in school, you might have a lot of questions. In Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the Bethlehem Area School District (BASD) is here to help kids who learn differently get the support they need to do their best. Let’s break down what they offer in easier terms and share some tips for parents.
What Special Education Programs Mean in BASD
BASD has special programs to help kids who learn differently. Here’s what parents should know:
- Who Can Get Help: If your child finds school hard because of physical, emotional, or mental challenges, they might be able to get special help. A team of experts will check what your child needs and plan out a special learning program just for them.
- Learning Together: BASD believes in teaching kids with and without disabilities together as much as possible. This helps all kids make friends and learn from each other. It also makes sure that kids who need extra help are still part of the main classroom.
- Making It Personal: Every child is different, so BASD makes sure each child gets what they specifically need to learn best. This could mean extra help in class, special tools for learning, or help with behavior.
Common Worries and How BASD Helps
Parents often worry about similar things. Here’s how BASD takes care of these worries:
- Good Teaching: Parents want to know their child is learning well. BASD has special teachers trained to teach kids who learn differently. They keep checking on how kids are doing and change the plan if needed to make sure every child can succeed.
- Making Friends: Parents want their child to have friends and not feel left out. BASD helps by making sure kids with disabilities can join clubs and activities with everyone else.
- Talking and Working Together: Parents, teachers, and staff need to talk and work together well. BASD keeps parents in the loop and listens to their ideas, especially when planning the child’s learning program.
- Getting Ready for the Future: As kids get older, parents start thinking about what comes after high school. BASD helps by planning early for jobs, college, or other training to make sure kids are ready for the next step.
Tips for Parents
- Be Involved: Join meetings about your child’s learning and talk to their teachers. Your voice is important!
- Use the Resources: BASD has many things in place to help your child. Ask questions and use these resources to help your child learn and grow.
- Encourage Independence: Help your child do things on their own and make choices. This builds confidence and skills for the future.
- Find Friends Who Get It: Meeting other parents with kids in special education can give you support and new ideas.
Going through special education can seem scary, but you and your child are not alone. BASD has many ways to help your child learn and do well. By understanding what’s available, working together, and using the help offered, you can make a big difference in your child’s education.
Christopher Smith, the publisher of this website is a lifetime lover of music, great food, fishing and local bars. After moving to the Lehigh Valley in 1992, he quickly discovered the charm of Historic Bethlehem, also known as Christmas City, with it's cobblestone streets, amazing restaurants, Artsquest and of course, Musikfest.
While living in the Reading area for the past 25 years, Christopher frequently ventured back to the Bethlehem for Musikfest, fishing the Lehigh, floating the Delaware River and exploring the Monocacy Creek, as well as enjoying many of the bars and restaurants he loves.
Having moved back to the area recently, you will find him fishing the Lehigh for smallmouth bass, frequenting Tapas On Main, enjoying the Pan Seared Scallops at the Apollo Grill or sipping an Old Fashioned at McCarthy's.
Join him as he shares his love for Bethlehem and the evolution of a city built on silk and steel, but transformed into a modern oasis of fun that offers enjoyment and excitement for everyone.