APS Inclusive Schools Week: Meet Champion of Inclusion Emily Max

Atlanta Public Schools salutes Emily Max, as a 2016 Champion of Inclusion!

Fred Armon Toomer Elementary School teacher, Emily Max, was awarded one of six $100,000 grants from Farmers Insurance® Dream Big Teacher Challenge in 2015. With the funds, Max envisioned the creation of an all-inclusive playground accessible for the school’s special needs students. In September 2016, Toomer Elementary School hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the grand opening of the new playground. At Toomer Elementary, more than 70 percent of the student population receives free or reduced lunch and the school does not have adequate funds to provide the desired resources to many of its special needs students. With the $100,000 grant, the new playground serves both Toomer Elementary School students as well as the larger community, including the Boys and Girls Club which is next door to the school.

We thank Emily Max for her thoughtfulness and drive to provide an inclusive play space for the Toomer Elementary School special needs students.

Atlanta Public Schools (APS) joins school districts and communities around the world in celebrating Inclusive Schools Week (ISW) December 5-9, with events and activities in classrooms, schools and communities to raise awareness of educational practices that reach students with disabilities or have diverse backgrounds. This year’s theme is “Champions of Inclusion: POWerful Things Happen in Inclusive Schools.”