The Reform Alliance Celebrates Special Students in April

LITTLE ROCK – The Reform Alliance, an Arkansas nonprofit organization devoted to ensuring K-12 educational choice for families from any background, this month will be celebrating two special populations: students in military families and students with autism or other special needs.

“Our organization began by administering the Succeed Scholarship Program, a voucher program originally for students with special needs that quickly grew to include children in foster care and children in military families,” said Emmy Henley, managing director of The Reform Alliance. “That two of these groups so central to our story and so close to our hearts are celebrated in April during the Month of the Military Child and Autism Awareness Month is a happy coincidence for us.”

As part of the month’s celebrations, The Reform Alliance will hold two separate online webinars. The first will be for military families at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 16. The second will be for families of children with autism or other special needs at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21. Each will feature a panel of guests sharing programs and resources available for these students and their families. They will also include an opportunity to submit questions for panelists throughout. The online panels are free and open to the public with registration available at www.thereformalliance.org/events.

“Although the Succeed Scholarship was absorbed into the Educational Freedom Account program in 2023, allowing more flexibility than a voucher and now available to any student in Arkansas, we continue to serve these families and help them understand the educational options available to them and the ways in which they can access those options,” said Henley.

In addition to its own online panels, the organization will also join events throughout the month, including the Autism Walk and Festival presented in Little Rock this Saturday by the Arkansas Autism Foundation and the Kula Spring Fling April 11 in Searcy.

“Every child deserves an education that recognizes and nurtures their strengths,” said Henley. “Education systems, public and private, must adapt to meet the diverse needs of children with autism, providing them with personalized learning experiences. Likewise, military children face unique challenges, and it’s vital to offer them flexibility to ensure they find a place of stability and support. The right education choice can make a world of difference for any struggling student, but these groups of students in particular need access to options to ensure they can find the right fit.”