OARacle Newsletter

For many children, the start of a new school year is filled with excitement—fresh notebooks, new classmates, and the excitement of seeing their friends after a summer apart.  For children with disabilities, this time can also bring anxiety, uncertainty, and worry about not having friends at school. Students with disabilities often face emotional and physical hurdles that are invisible to their peers. As the school bells ring once again, it’s crucial that we start the year off by teaching peer acceptance and building inclusive relationships among students.

During the 2024-2025 school year, Jonesboro Hodge Elementary School, Jonesboro, Louisiana had the privilege of receiving an OAR Peer Education Grant. Through this grant and the efforts of staff and students at our school, we created an inclusive environment that supported the growth and development of all students. Research has shown that students with autism and other developmental disabilities often face challenges in understanding social cues, initiating and maintaining friendships, or adapting to classroom norms. As a result, they may act differently than the other students in the classroom, which can lead to social isolation, bullying, or mental health issues.

A lack of understanding about autism and other disabilities among neurotypical students is usually why they don’t easily accept students with disabilities as friends and classmates. Students are often segregated into separate classrooms, leaving limited opportunities for structured peer interaction. Oftentimes, neurotypical students misinterpret social skill differences as rude or inappropriate.

Through our efforts, we have learned that tackling these barriers requires deliberate, informed strategies that educate and empower students and staff and create a culture of empathy and inclusion. Our work during the 2024-2025 school year benefited all of our staff and students and created an environment conducive to understanding the diverse needs of others. The strategies we used included: 

1. A peer education and awareness campaign: We used OAR’s Kit for Kids with all of our students to promote understanding and empathy. We discussed how everyone, no matter their strengths and weaknesses, is an integral part of our school family and that everyone’s contribution matters to our school’s success.
2. Modeling inclusive behavior: We met with teachers prior to the start of the grant to discuss ways the faculty could set the tone for inclusion by modeling respectful communication skills, celebrating differences, and intervening when they saw exclusion or bullying. Each classroom chose a student to be a peer mentor and to promote kindness in the classroom and throughout the school. The peer mentors changed every three months. 
3. Encouraging empathy through storytelling: We chose the book, Masterpiece, by Alexandra Hoffman to share with students and their families. A peer mentor read the book at our Title I meeting and at a Special Education Advisory Council meeting. The story was also read to all students in their classrooms, and we gave each student a copy of the book to take home.  
4. Involving families and the community: We publicized information about the Peer Education grant on our website and social media pages and in the local newspaper. We invited parents to meetings to hear about peer acceptance and our efforts to make our campus a place where everyone’s strengths and skills are key to our success. At parent meetings, we shared Masterpiece, and had the Jackson Parish Sheriff’s Office talk about the ​​autism decal program that was created in conjunction with the Jackson Parish Special Education Advisory Council. This program provides up to three free window decals for vehicles or homes to alert responders that there may be a person inside with autism, cerebral palsy, dementia, Down syndrome, deafness, or other conditions who require special attention. 
5. Involving students in all activities: We determined early on that the success of our program would depend greatly upon student and staff support. We strategized ways to ensure that everyone felt connected to and involved in our efforts. We designed a Peers for Autism shirt and gave them out to all staff and students. We had a monthly kindness activity and created a kindness tree so students and staff could publicize acts of kindness that they witnessed. We sent home a November flyer talking about thankfulness and gave five ways that our students, staff, and families could promote thankfulness and kindness.

By fostering understanding, encouraging positive interactions, and embracing differences, schools can create inclusive environments where all students feel valued, respected, and supported. The ripple effects of acceptance extend far beyond the classroom by helping students learn to value similarities and celebrate differences. 

Bonnie Buckelew is the supervisor of special education in Jackson Parish, La. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Master of Education in Special Education from Northwestern State University. During her 37-year tenure, she has worked in a variety of educational settings.

Danielle Copeland is the principal of Jonesboro-Hodge Elementary in Jonesboro, La. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, dual Special Education from Grambling State University, and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Louisiana State University. She strives to be an advocate for high expectations, equitable practices, and positive experiences for all students.