Jefferson County, WV: School district holds "Sensory Santa event" for affected kids

Dec 10, 2021, WDVM TV, Washington, DC: Jefferson County Schools to hold new sensory Santa event https://www.localdvm.com/news/west-virginia/jefferson-county-schools-to-hold-new-sensory-santa-event/

JEFFERSON COUNTY, W.Va. (WDVM) — Jefferson County Schools has a new holiday event set up specifically for kids with sensory sensitivity. The Sensory Santa event is being held at the school system’s central office. The event will make it easier for kids with sensory sensitivity to visit Santa. “So there was a need in our community to reach kids who the mall Santa just doesn’t work for and we still wanted…we wanted them to have that opportunity to see Santa and to meet their needs and not let it be this overwhelming experience,” said Erica Fisher IEP Compliance Consultant with Jefferson County Schools. The event is being run through the Jefferson County Schools Parent and Educator Resources Coordinator. The room, where kids will see Santa includes things like dim lights and sensory buckets. “All students are gonna be given a half an hour time slot so if a student is taking a while to get used to Santa and comes in and you know it takes them 10 minutes just to get in the door or you know they have a meltdown we’re leaving plenty of time for them to kind of get acclimated to the space,” explained Rachel Hardy JCS Parent and Educator Resources Coordinator. An event like sensory Santa is a game changer for families who have kids with sensory sensitivity…..