The athletics department’s mission statement is to uphold the high school’s values and inclusive culture, and therefore strives to “address the needs of the entire student population.” But in terms of meeting the needs of the students enrolled in the special education department, the athletics department lacks the resources from the school to reach these standards.

Currently, there are few registrants with disabilities in the high school’s athletics programs. Robin Ross, a Bridge Alliance teacher, said that although there aren’t any restrictions prohibiting students with disabilities from participating on sports teams, there are no programs that give students the means to participate.

Ross said that the two main problems preventing students with disabilities from joining sports teams are a lack of funding to employ paraprofessionals and specifically-equipped transportation after school hours.

“None of our students ever participate in sports largely because some students need support after school and there is a lack of after-school funding to provide this support,” Ross said. “They would need support from an adult that is not necessarily the coach to make sure that they’re paying attention and following the rules.”

The high school does not provide specialized transportation for students with disabilities past 3 p.m. Georgia Carter, a Rigorous Individualized Special Education (RISE) community teacher, said that most students rely on the school’s vans to get home after school.

“Some of the students aren’t able to walk home after school like a mainstream student might, or take a train or ride a bike, so a lot of the students rely on the vans we use here,” Carter said.

Several schools in the vicinity provide students in special education with the option of participating in their own athletics programs. Newton South implemented Unified Sports, an inclusion program that integrates students in general education with students in special education by having them play on the same team, against other Unified Sports teams.

Patricia Rivero Gonzalez, Newton South’s Director of Athletics, said that paraprofessionals are paid outside of normal school hours to give students with disabilities participating in Unified Sports.one-on-one support.

“The paraprofessionals can be paid up to 40 hours per week, and school finishes at 3:45 p.m. We usually practice for one hour and 15 minutes, three times a week, so the special education department assigns the paraprofessionals and manages their hours. The athletic department doesn’t do it,” Gonzalez said. “The paraprofessionals are paid if they are working above the regular hours.”

Gonzalez said that Newton South provides specialized transportation to students who require the service as part of their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), extending the transportation until 5 p.m. She said that students with disabilities in Unified Sports are also provided with special transportation to pick them up from practice.

“Transportation is until 5 p.m., so on practice day they have their special transportation,” Gonzalez said. “On game days, we do have a bus like any varsity sport and the paraprofessionals come with them, and when they return to the school, their families have to pick them up since they usually stay past 5 p.m.”

Athletic Director Kyle Williams declined to be interviewed due to unfamiliarity with the special education programs given that it is his first year in his new position.

Carter said that the athletics department was nothing short of accommodating when she reached out in regards to a student participating on the basketball team.

“One of my students wants to be on the basketball team to participate in practices and sit on the bench, so I reached out to the athletic director, and he was very accommodating and said he would love to have him join,” Carter said. “They are more than happy to have our kids be a part of the team, it’s just the support for the students that the problem is at.”

Faith Dantowitz, secretary of Brookline’s Special Education Parent Advisory Councils (SEPAC) said she has been trying to get Unified Sports in Brookline for a long time. She said that it is not only beneficial for students with disabilities but for all students.

“Unified Sports has a much less competitive feel; it’s more engaging and it allows for inclusion and acceptance as well as physical activity,” Dantowitz said. “Best Buddies is one thing, but fostering friendships while you’re doing sports is a much more permanent way to create a more inclusive school and a more inclusive society.”

Dandowitz said that the lack of a Unified Sports program in Brookline is a shame for both students with disabilities, who oftentimes have no other means to participate in sports, and for students in general education. She said students in general education are missing out on an opportunity to establish friendships with their peers, friendships they would learn a lot from.

“You’d be surprised how much you can learn from having a relationship with a peer who is significantly disabled. It’s life altering,” Dandowitz said. “There’s nothing negative about the experience. It’s all positive.”