Ridgewood students and staff win NJ award for Unified inclusion program; district plans expansion

At the Ridgewood Public School District's board meeting, educators and students presented the district's Unified inclusion program and announced it won recognition from the New Jersey School Boards Association for its Unified electives.

Doug Aday, a district teacher who leads the program, told the board the initiative began five years ago as Unified Sports and has since grown into an umbrella program that includes Unified Sports, Friends of Unified (community outings and socials), Unified events (in-school inclusion activities) and Unified electives at Ridgewood High School. "Unified Sports is what's growing the most at the highest rate," Aday said, describing activities including soccer, basketball, bowling and spring track. He said more than 50 students volunteered this spring in support roles and that community teams have partnered with the district in some competitions.

Dr. Michelle Fenwick, director of special programs, said the district's unified electivesincluding a first-semester unified foods and nutritionallow general-education and special-education students to take classes together. "These are things that we're doing in the school building each day," Fenwick said. The program will add unified dance and unified studio art next year.

School leaders described the award as recognition of the program's design and impact; Fenwick said the district will receive a plaque and a digital badge for display. Aday said a district goal is to have a Unified rep in every building beginning in September: a faculty point person who would organize biweekly leadership meetings, coordinate sporting events and act as a liaison to the unified leadership team.

Board members praised the program and asked about the rep role and funding. Aday said the rep would be a faculty member supported by a student leadership team and that the district is working to make the program financially self-sufficient through fundraisers. "Our goals going forward
re to expand our unified group, build inclusive programs within our community, and become financially self-sufficient," Aday said.

The superintendent and board thanked students and parents for volunteer support and encouraged families to attend upcoming Unified events, including a karaoke night and a spring track program. The board did not take any vote specifically to change district policy; the presentation concluded with an offer to provide the board additional details on staffing and rollout plans.