Grayson County Schools has been awarded a $15,000 grant from the WHAS Crusade for Children.
The funding will provide sensory rooms and new and replacement equipment for students at all schools. These private, calm areas will give students with special needs a place to gain the sensory input they need for emotional regulation from a sometimes overstimulating school environment.
According to District Special Education Director Tracie Johnston, the rooms and the equipment that will go in them will help address all types of sensory issues to help meet the individual sensory needs of students.
“Equipment may range from fidgets to weighted vests for pressure or swings for movement. Items to help meet auditory and visual sensory needs will be purchased for those students seeking that input. There will also be items available to help students work on their hand grasp and other fine motor skills to help them reach their occupational therapy goals,” said Johnston.
The Crusade has been a strong supporter of the district’s work with students with disabilities, awarding well over $1 million in grant funding to Grayson County through the years. These funds have provided a variety of additional equipment and opportunities beyond regular programs. Over the past few years, funds have provided additional classroom technology, playground communication boards at all four elementary schools, programming to enhance social-emotional development, specifically for students on the autism spectrum, and most recently, updated preschool screening equipment.
“We are grateful to the Crusade for Children for granting this funding for our students,” said Johnston. “We know this wouldn’t be possible without the tireless efforts of our fire departments, many volunteers, and donors within the community, whose efforts raise these funds every year for our kids.”
In addition to yearlong fundraising activities, each May, local firefighters give their time to collect change for the Crusade at high-traffic locations throughout the county. Those locally raised funds come back to the community to help children with special needs in the school system and other not-for-profit organizations countywide.