WOODSTOCK – As plans unfold to restructure the Special Education District of McHenry County, namely the impending closure of the SEDOM Center in Woodstock, questions and concerns are circulating among families of affected students.
SEDOM Center, 1200 Claussen Drive in Woodstock, will cease operations after this school year, according to SEDOM Superintendent Kathy Wilhoit.
Wilhoit said the decision came about a month ago after years of declining enrollment, particularly within the center, as member districts have increasingly provided in-house special education programming.
Parents of the roughly 60 students enrolled at the center, as well as faculty and staff, were notified last week, she added. There are about 131 students total in SEDOM programs.
Wilhoit said the transition of center students to other programs will be determined on a case-by-case basis at their individual and annual planning meetings.
Missy Gruenes of Harvard has a 15-year-old, wheelchair-bound daughter enrolled at SEDOM Center. The news about the center, Gruenes said, was upsetting.
"I feel the school needs to be there because now we could be talking about putting these kids in a public school environment," she said.
Similar concerns were expressed by Wonder Lake residents Richard and Priscilla Bell, the grandparents and caregivers of 19-year-old Jordon Urban.
"He's been going there practically his whole life," Richard Bell said. "He needs to be around people that he knows."
After the news surfaced, efforts to reverse the decision have kicked off with a Change.org petition, which had 639 signatures as of Wednesday, and a "Save SEDOM" Facebook page that has 262 members.
Commissioner of both efforts, Charles Erickson of Antioch said he couldn't fathom the idea of SEDOM Center closing after his brother attended the center school for 17 years.
"It made him the person he is today," Erickson said, adding his brother was able to graduate McHenry County College with the help of SEDOM. "When I saw it was closing, I just couldn't see it. I just think there's so many special-needs kids there that won't get the attention they need and deserve."
Officials of various districts have said that won't be the case, though.
Tim Mahaffy, superintendent at Fox River Grove School District 3, said there is one District 3 student at SEDOM Center.
"We're working with area school districts to make sure every child in this county has an appropriate special education program," he said.
Superintendent of Harvard District 50 Lauri Tobias said her district has been bringing students into local programs for the past few years.
"It's best to be in the home school and the home community," Tobias said. "That's part of why the center isn't needed anymore, but that doesn't mean programs and services of SEDOM aren't needed."
Wilhoit said SEDOM will continue to provide support and services throughout the county after the center's closure. According to the letter sent to parents, continuing services could include technical support, professional development and student consulting, among others.
Established in 1965, SEDOM's role in the community has shrunk over the past several years. In recent years, Woodstock District 200 cut ties completely with SEDOM in 2013 and other districts have reduced their membership.
A study commissioned by SEDOM in 2013 to determine the cooperative's efficacy indicates enrollment has gone from 620 students in 2003 down to 169 in 2013.