I wasn't satisfied with the services offered at my local school, and contacted the district's person in charge of gifted education. I asked her about having a parent group in our district, as a way of sharing information and resources. She gave me a list of other parents who had contacted her about the very same thing. I contacted them, and a few of us spent our summer vacation incorporating as a 501(c)(3) organization, planning a year's worth of activities, setting up a website and publicizing the group. We are growing quickly! There are lots of concerned parents out there who want to unite and advocate for the gifted students. Many teachers are also signing up as members. We will host our first general meeting in a couple of weeks, with the Director of the Florida Gifted Network, Terry Wilson, as the featured speaker. She's going to let us know about current laws and policies in our state, and advise us on advocacy. We've posted some advocacy resources at the website,
www.GACHFlorida.org, which parents anywhere might find useful. Anyone in the Tampa area is welcome to join and attend our Sept. 15 meeting. Please visit the website for details!
