SEPAC

Special Education Parent Advisory Council

WHAT WE DO

Porter County Education Services (PCES) Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is a parent-driven group that provides input and makes recommendations on Special Education policy, practices, programs and services that have an impact on students with disabilities and their families. SEPAC parent representatives will act as liaisons to share comments/concerns, however does not have formal authority to issue directives or set policy. We work collaboratively with the PCES Executive Director to create change.

If you need advice or just want to talk to another parent in your district about special education matters, please email us along with the district name and your inquiry will be forwarded to the parent representative(s) in your district.

pcesparentgroup@pces.k12.in.us

Parent Advisory Council Members

Jessica Witherspoon, Parent Lead for PCES SEPAC

Jessica is the parent representative for Valparaiso Community Schools. She has a history of serving families and individuals within the disability community with extensive professional experiences from the Bureau of Disabilities Services (Medicaid Waiver unit), and IN*SOURCE Special Education Liaison & Team Leader and currently the State of Indiana’s regional liaison between Vocational Rehabilitation & Department of Workforce Development as she continues to serve the population she’s most passionate about. In the past, Jessica has served as a Parent Representative for the Indiana Division for Early Childhood executive board. She is knowledgeable in Article 7, IDEA, Section 504, and community resources. She brings a strong passion for serving the disability community and in doing so, has worked collaboratively with school personnel, government associates and various community organizations. She currently serves on executive boards, subcommittees and various community organizations that are all disability related. Jessica volunteers countless hours in helping parents navigate the journey of parenting a child with disabilities. She is married and has three children, both with and without disabilities.

PCES SEPAC Representatives

Portage Township Schools Parent Representative

Niki Ewing is a Portage High School graduate who decided to start her family in Portage with her husband Mike. When her child was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, she wanted to learn how to best advocate for him. This created her passion in learning more about the special education process. She has one child elementary school age and one child preschool aged. Her IEP background includes Autism Spectrum Disorder and Speech Language Impairment.

Duneland School Corporation Parent Representative

Jackie Hood moved to Indiana four years ago from Michigan for her husband's job. She has two children. Her son is a second grader and her daughter is a kindergartener at Brummitt Elementary. Her son has an IEP and was diagnosed with developmental delay at age three after aging out of the early intervention program in Michigan. He was receiving speech and occupational therapy. Jackie currently stays at home, but previously she taught for eight years using her Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education degrees. Jackie has a passion for advocating for everyone in the Special Education community and joined the parent advocacy group to help other parents be the best advocate for their own child.

Duneland School Corporation Parent Representative

Rebecca Shellito is a parent rep for the Duneland school system. She has worked in healthcare in northwest Indiana for nearly 30 yrs. She's always found herself advocating as a nurse, for those who need a stronger voice and helping hand. This has been especially true since her son Nico was diagnosed with Autism. Once nonverbal, Nico is now a social butterfly in 5th grade. Together with her husband, the Shellitos founded a nonprofit, Uniquely Nico that hosts fun and free events for families with special needs. Rebecca has learned many valuable lessons through the years and wants to empower other families to be a strong voice for their child.

Portage Township Schools Parent Representative

Denise Hodges and her husband Chris are lifelong Portage residents and graduates of Portage High School. She is actively involved in her children's school as both a guest teacher and PSO committee member. Denise is a mom to two girls and one boy. One child is in high school with the other two in elementary. Her IEP background includes Autism Spectrum Disorder, Speech Impairment (Apraxia, Assistive Technology) and Other Health Impairment (OHI)

Porter Township Parent Representative

Tracy is a wife and mother of four children. Tracy grew up in Cincinnati in the Catholic school system through college. Her youngest child, Ethan, brought their family into the world of special needs. Ethan has Down Syndrome. This has brought on many academic challenges over the last fourteen years. Tracy is an accountant by trade, but through raising children both in the private and public school systems, she has become a strong advocate for her children in order to get each of them the best opportunities based on each of their individual needs and personalities. Education is not a one size fits all whether your child has additional challenges or needs additional supports to be successful academically.

East Porter County School Corporation Parent Representative

Jessica Kruger has lived in Kouts for 20 years with her husband. They are both graduates of Valparaiso University. Jessica has her Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering and is a licensed engineer in the state of Indiana. She works for the Indiana Department of Transportation. Growing up, she was very close with her cousin who had numerous developmental and physical complications. She was a student aide through middle and high school. Jessica has always been passionate to help. Jessica and her husband have two children in the Kouts school system. One is in elementary and one is in middle school. One of her children was diagnosed in first grade with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and high functioning Autism. They received occupational therapy (OT) services outside of school for large and small motor skills due to developmental delays. She is very passionate about services for children. She knows she doesn't have all the answers, but likes to research and will help find answers. She wants to help her children and other children in the community be all they can be. She believes in reaching for the stars and that everyone was created for a purpose. Her IEP experience includes Other Health Impairment (OHI) and Specific Learning Disability (SLD).

Union Township Parent Representative

Amanda Taylor is the parent representative for Union Township School Corporation. She grew up going through the Duneland School System and decided to settle down in Porter County with her husband and two children who are currently in middle school and elementary school. Her oldest has an IEP due to their diagnosis of ADHD. Amanda is currently a licensed special education teacher in Illinois working with students with significant behavioral needs and previously worked for PCES as both a special education teacher and educational diagnostician serving in different school districts. This gives her a very unique perspective of serving on both sides of the table. She is knowledgeable in Article 7, IDEA and Section 504 as well as how the evaluation process, IEP, FBA and BIP all work together. Amanda is a strong advocate for all children within the educational system especially for those students and parents who are struggling with knowing what kind of help their child needs in the school setting. She looks forward to being able to continue to serve the families in Porter County again, this time as a parent representative for SEPAC.