Special Olympics Awards Four Boston Public Schools with National Banner

Special Olympics Massachusetts recently honored four Boston Public Schools with National Banner recognition for their efforts to provide inclusive sports and activities for students with and without disabilities.

Special Olympics Honors Four Boston Public Schools with National Banner Recognition

BPS has four of only 17 schools in Massachusetts and 217 schools nationwide to achieve the status of National Banner School for the 2024-2025 school year.

BOSTON - DECEMBER 19, 2025- Special Olympics Massachusetts recently named Brighton High School, Mario Umana Academy, Trotter Elementary, and the Warren Prescott K-8 School as National Banner schools for their efforts to provide inclusive sports and activities for students with and without disabilities. The four schools earned this distinguished status as a result of meeting 10 national standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy, and respect. These standards were developed by a national panel of leaders from the Special Olympics and the education community.

"We are incredibly proud that four Boston Public Schools have been recognized as National Banner Unified Champion Schools," said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper. "This honor reflects our district's and schools’ commitment to creating inclusive environments where every student of all abilities can participate, lead, and thrive. Through programs like Unified Sports, inclusive youth leadership, and whole-school engagement, we move closer to building a more inclusive future across all of our schools."

The Unified Champion Schools® model is a strategy for schools Pre-K through university that intentionally promotes meaningful social inclusion by bringing together students with and without disabilities to create accepting school environments, utilizing three interconnected components: Unified Sports; inclusive youth leadership; and whole-school engagement. As many as 16 million young people are taking part in inclusive experiences through Special Olympics. National Banner Unified Champion Schools also demonstrate they are self-sustainable or have a plan in place to sustain these activities into the future.

"At Warren Prescott, our students are at the center of everything we do and our school community works diligently every day to ensure that all our students have the opportunity to connect, lead, and learn alongside their peers of all abilities," said Principal Michele Davis, Warren-Prescott K-8 School. "Our collaborative efforts are grounded in this vision, allowing students to engage meaningfully with each other and helping build a school culture rooted in equity, respect, and inclusion."

Since October 2023, Boston Public Schools (BPS) has been implementing its landmark Inclusive Education Plan for the Boston Public Schools. The plan outlines systemic changes across all BPS divisions to close opportunity gaps and give every student access to rigorous and culturally affirming instruction. This Inclusive Education Plan will transform learning outcomes for all students, upholding the right of every student to be educated in the least-restrictive environment.

"Trotter Elementary celebrates the power of inclusion every day. Our students participate in Unified Sports and school-wide activities that foster understanding, leadership, and friendship across all abilities," said Principal Sarita Thomas, Trotter Elementary School. "Being named a National Banner School emphasizes our commitment to creating a learning environment where all students can thrive socially and academically."

Brighton High School has made history by becoming the first secondary school in Boston Public Schools to earn Special Olympics National Banner recognition. This achievement showcases the school’s commitment to creating an inclusive community where students of all abilities can fully participate in sports, leadership activities, and school life. With its unified sports programs and strong culture of belonging, Brighton sets a great example of what it means to achieve inclusive excellence at the high school level.

"At Brighton High School, our students are at the forefront of creating a community where everyone feels seen, supported, and included," said Principal Andrew Bott, Brighton High School. "This recognition highlights their dedication to uplifting one another, fostering strong friendships, and making our school a welcoming environment for all. We are incredibly proud of the leadership and compassion our students demonstrate every day, which has earned us the Special Olympics National Banner."

Photo: Piano Lab Ribbon Cutting at Umana Academy, 2025.

“This achievement reflects the power of inclusion, teamwork, and community. At the Umana, every student deserves to feel seen, valued, and celebrated, and earning the National Banner recognition affirms that belief,” said Principal Akua-Nia Francillon, Mario Umana Academy. “I am proud of our school, grateful for our dedicated educators, and inspired by our amazing young people who make the Umana a place where belonging and brilliance are lived every day.”

The Unified Champion Schools® model is supported by the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education. This model has been proven, through research, to be an effective and replicable means to providing students with and without disabilities the opportunity to form positive social relationships and promote a socially inclusive school climate.

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Day to Day Health

Parents and the primary care provider can partner with the nurse to ensure that all students are healthy and ready to learn; Please help the school nurse build that collaboration by being up to date on the following areas:

Consent to Communicate

Primary care providers and nurses require parent permission to communicate. The consent form is an agreement that sets guidelines for what will be shared amongst the home, the school and the primary care provider. The purpose is to ensure that the school has the proper information to create an educational plan.

There are two different federal regulations regarding confidentiality of information. FERPA ( the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act ) protects student educational information within the school environment. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) protects health information within the larger community such as protected health information. However, when health information is accepted by a school, it becomes FERPA protected and not HIPAA protected and anyone with a right to know (i.e. those directly involved with a student’s educational program) can potentially review health information. To provide a more HIPAA like protection to a students health information, BPS has added additional confidentiality protections. The school nurse in conjunction with the principal and parent has a release of health information where the parent sets the parameters for what can be shared with the staff.

Physical Exam

The physical exam provides the school nurse with important information to maintain health and safety in the school, especially for new enterers. Parents of new students should ensure the nurse receives a physical exam within 2 weeks of school entrance. When a child has chronic disease, such as diabetes or sickle cell disease, the nurse will need more detailed information. In order to work together with the student’s clinician, the parent or guardian should sign a consent to share the medical information. The Chronic Disease section discusses this in more detail.

In addition, the State requires that all high school sports participants have an updated physical every 13 months.

The purpose of a sports physical is to ensure safety of students and provide guidelines for those with health needs. The student’s primary care physician clears a student for participation and should indicate any accommodations the school should provide for safe play. The school nurse and athletic trainer reviews all students participating in sports to ensure this clinician clearance has occurred. Monitoring for concussion is an important function of the athletics department and the school nurses. Parents should inform the school of any offsite concussions.

Immunizations

Screenings

The State requires students be screened for height, weight, hearing, vision and scoliosis (curvature of spine). School nurses and health paraprofessionals complete most of the screenings. Vision screening often discovers a vision deficit. BPS links with several community agencies that will do more detailed vision screening and assist with obtaining glasses.

Although parents can opt out of screening on the online or paper student family handbook along with the other permissions requested at the start of each new school year, we encourage that all children be screened.

Medication

A physician’s order is required if a child is taking medicine in school. Massachusetts State regulations allow only a nurse to dispense medication, with the exception of some medications on field trips only, and Epi pens.
The parent is responsible for delivering to the nurse medications in a pharmacy labeled container along with a physician’s order and permission for the nurse to give the medication in school.
Over-the-counter medications require a physician's order for them to be dispensed in school. The BPS school physician provides a standing order that allows the school nurse to dispense medication with parental permission
In some instances, such as with asthma inhalers, medications may be self administered. Self administration is determined by the nurse and the family and requires a process of monitoring student use.
Parents should pick up any unused medications at the end of the school year. Any unused medication will be destroyed.
School nurses are responsible for a student's health during regular school hours. Before and after school programs are responsible for working with parents should there be a medical need such as medication outside of school hours.

Field Trips

Field trips are a valuable and exciting part of your child’s educational experience, and we are dedicated to ensuring that every student, including those with special health needs, can participate safely and comfortably. To help your child have the best possible experience, we aim to keep parents and guardians well-informed about these outings. If your child has any medical conditions or special needs, please communicate these in advance to the school nurse so that they can arrange the necessary accommodations. Please ensure your student has all necessary medications and supplies available for the field trip. Our commitment to the safety and well-being of all our students is paramount, and we look forward to collaborating with you to ensure safe and enjoyable encounters for your child.

CORI CHAPERONE FORM

Filling this online form out is the first step towards chaperoning a field trip with your child's class. Click here to open.

Medical Emergencies

The nurse assesses the acuity of presenting symptoms and makes the determination of 911 transport. Therefore it is vitally important that parents maintain updated emergency contacts.

Parents will be notified if a child is transported.

Students must be accompanied by school staff; as EMS assumes the clinical role, the school nurse is more appropriate to remain with the school.

Disaster Planning

Each school has a disaster plan and the school nurse is one of the team members. Parents should familiarize themselves with the schools disaster plan, in particular the reunification plan, should there be a school evacuation. Parents of children with special needs involving medication, equipment or supplies, should discuss plans for shelter in place or lockdown.