Next week, Gulf Shores City Schools (GSCS) will be hosting a meeting for parents to learn more about special education transition planning and resources available for students with disabilities.

Meetings at two different times will be hosted on Jan. 27 at The Wave Center for Learning, located north of the elementary school at 1717 E. Third St. in Gulf Shores.

The first meeting will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. and will be in-person only. The second meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on Facebook Live in addition to being held in person. The meetings will cover the same topics and parents should plan to only attend one.

Parent stipends are available for those who register for the event, whether in person or online.

Registration is available at www.surveymonkey.com/r/7LDW2L5 or by scanning the QR code on the event flyer.

Director of Exceptional Education and Special Services at GSCS, Sonya Price, encouraged parents from anywhere in or around Baldwin County to register and attend or watch the event. While the transition planning will be geared toward middle and high school students, parents with students of all ages can attend to learn about and discuss resources and opportunities within the state.

"It's good information and I don't think the kids are ever too young for you to learn about what is out there," Price said. "There's just so many things out there that we can connect them with and we want to connect them with."

Katrina Wellborn with the Alabama Parent Education Center will be speaking on "everything" from how to get involved with job readiness programs to information from Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services and how they can help with college tuition or getting students involved in local opportunities like Passages at the University of South Alabama.

Self-determination and self-advocacy for students, resources and support available for students with disabilities and special education transition planning will all be discussed at the meeting.

Additional groups, individuals and representatives attending the event will include ADRS, which provides funding for graduates and support in the working community; ARC of the GulfCoast; Shawn Weaver, who helps with job coach opportunities in the community; Cindy Haber Center; Passages USA at the University of South Alabama; and SHOW (Special Humans Outreach and Wellness) Baldwin.

Price said she plans to have Wellborn visit the school again to present information on how to read an IEP and learn some of the acronyms and concepts often used in an educational setting. Meetings like this are likely to become a regular occurrence at GSCS.

Parents will also learn how to connect with local opportunities for students after graduating high school.

"This is a great way for parents to connect with other parents and find out that there's so many resources out there for them," she said. "… I've been wanting to connect parents with more resources for some time, so I'm excited that this happened."