5 Indiana Schools Receive National Recognition for Achievements and Inclusion

Three Indiana high schools, a middle school and an elementary school received national banner recognition from Special Olympics North America for their effort to provide inclusive sports and activities for students with and without intellectual disabilities.

The following schools earned this distinguished status as a result of meeting 10 national standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy and respect. These standards were developed by a panel of national leaders from Special Olympics and educators.

The schools are:

• Bedford North Lawrence High School
• DeKalb High School
• Evansville North High School
• Plainfield Community Middle School
• Park Elementary School (Fairmount, Ind.)

Bedford North Lawrence and DeKalb both also earned this honor in 2020. The other three schools are first-time winners.

The primary activities within these standards include inclusive youth leadership opportunities, whole school engagement and Special Olympics Unified Sports®, where students with and without disabilities train and compete as teammates. Utilizing these three interconnected components has been shown to create accepting school environments.

More than 600 Indiana schools currently participate in the Unified Champion Schools® program. They are part of 12,000 schools that take part nationwide.

The Unified Champion Schools® model is supported by the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education. This model has been proven, through research, to be an effective and replicable means of providing students with and without disabilities the opportunity to form positive social relationships and promote a socially inclusive school climate.

Learn more about the program at SOindiana.org/unified-champion-schools.

# # #

About Special Olympics Indiana

Special Olympics Indiana is a nonprofit organization that is part of the global Special Olympics movement, created by the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation for the benefit of persons with intellectual disabilities. Its vision is an inclusive world, driven by the power of sport, through which people with intellectual disabilities live active, healthy, and fulfilling lives.