By dave benjamin
Staff Writer
The Student Education Transition Program (STEP) is bringing special education students from the Freehold Regional High School District from the classroom into the job arena.
"We are mandated by law to provide transition activities for our students who are working through our school program in order to prepare them for life after high school," said Dr. Patricia Emmerman, FRHSD assistant superintendent of special services, at a recent Board of Education meeting.
Emmerman said STEP is special because it makes sure that the students are prepared to be productive, responsible citizens after they leave the high school district. Students who are involved in the program are between the ages of 18-21 or are recommended by a child study team.
"This program started with one job coach and we expanded it to three," Emmerman said. "They actually take the kids and try them out. When they’re a little younger they actually do sampling to see which jobs they like and what is their interest level. Then as they get older, the coach goes with them and puts them on a regular job. When they graduate, they have a regular job and we’re sure they are going to keep the job."
Explaining the history of STEP, Debbie Perez-Giles, district supervisor of special education, said, "The program began at Freehold Township High School in 1990 through a grant that the district received from a Division of Vocational Education program. It was piloted at Freehold Township for a period of five to six years. Then Freehold Borough got involved in 1996. In 2001, we picked up the students from Marlboro High School. As time progressed it spread to the other high schools in the district."
Perez-Giles explained that the students are given vocational training to prepare them for when they go out into the job market. Some of the jobs sites are in the high schools and include positions in the food service area; media center and office jobs; or jobs in the area of maintenance.
"Usually the students are 18 years old before they get to that part of the program, the job sampling component," Perez-Giles said.
The job sampling is a partnership between the community and the FRHSD. It is a non-paid position which is made available by a local business or service organization.
Students work alone or in pairs for about one hour each day for a period of two weeks at each job site. The student then returns to vocational training which is provided by the district. Other jobs are sampled as they become available. During this period, job coaches Valerie Rigazio, Beverly Greenberg and Heather Paolo work closely with the program and the students.
There are about 24 job sites in Monmouth County and the job coaches rotate the students as much as possible to give each student as many experiences as possible. The FRHSD provides transportation to and from the job sites for the students.
Perez-Giles said the students learn about proper work habits.
"It’s a real work experience when they’re out there," she said. "The goal is to lead to supportive and dependent employment, a paid position that the student has during the final year at high school."
At graduation time, the student has already been placed in a job and is set to go.
Job sites include the culinary program at the Five Star Cafe in Freehold Borough High School; the Monmouth County Library System; the Monmouth County Surrogate’s Office; and CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township.
Perez-Giles said that since 1990, STEP has graduated 67 students and 46 percent of them are involved in the competitive programs. Additionally, 21 percent are working in sheltered workshops, while 7 percent are involved in employment agencies. Fifteen percent are at home, sometimes due to illness, and 11 percent are unable to be reached.
Marlboro High School special education supervisor Stephanie Papas introduced four students in STEP to the board: Christian Stewart, Freehold Borough High School; Brianne Glaspey, Freehold Borough High School alumni; Christian Ginesi, Freehold Township High School alumni; and Christopher Messana, Marlboro High School alumni.
Messana, who is presently working in the cafeteria at Manalapan High School, said he likes working with people.
Ginesi is working in a law office and at a research center.
Glaspey works in the kitchen at Howell Middle School South and has had the job for the past year. As a student, Glaspey said, she went to 13 different job samplings and found she liked jobs that centered around working in a kitchen.
Stewart rattled off a list of some of the job samplings he had explored in the past.
"Boston Market, T.J. Maxx, CentraState, Value City, Friendly (restaurant), Frank’s and the surrogate’s office," said Stewart, 20.
His favorite job was working at CentraState Environmental, where he cleaned windows.
"I like cleaning things up," said Stewart, who is scheduled to graduate next year.
Board member Terry Kraft of Howell said, "This program gives (the students) the opportunity to go through different choices to see what they like and what they’re good at. At the same time it gives the employers the opportunity to become amenable to the services offered, that these can do, that are value added to their companies."
Kraft said the whole idea of STEP is to make a match where there is a comfort level and the young adults become productive citizens. He said each student has different experiences.
"This is a good thing and it works," he said.