How Long Island schools are helping special education students forge friendships with mainstream peers

As Shoreham-Wading River High School sophomore Emily Minetti struck notes on a keyboard piano during a recent music class, she glanced over and smiled at the girl beside her. 

Sky Riekert, a small blonde girl with glasses, sat crisscross on a chair next to Minetti. She imitated her friend's hand movements as the class of about 20 students practiced Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer."

After a few attempts, the class successfully performed a cover of the legendary song. The room erupted in applause, while Minetti, 15, turned to Riekert and hugged her.

Riekert, 18, has Down syndrome and is limited verbally. That's what made the moment so special, Minetti said: "She loves to sing, she loves music, and it's really where she shines, so I wanted to make sure that she got a chance to."

The two friends are part of the "peer mentoring" program at Shoreham-Wading River, one of several districts on Long Island that offers special education and general education students a chance to attend classes with one another. Research has shown that such initiatives can have academic and social benefits for special education students. Educators said general education students can also gain from these programs, which give them a chance to interact with kids they might not otherwise spend time with during school hours.

Gloria Wilson, professor of specialized programs in education at Hofstra University, said general education students may have preconceived notions about their classmates with intellectual, behavioral or physical disabilities. Peer mentoring programs, she said, can create "intellectual change" in those biases.

"These aren't forced interactions," she said. "The kids are there every day in a class together doing activities together and that's a very natural, organic way of getting to know each other."

Wilson noted that such programs are in line with the goals of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, which mandates a free and appropriate public-school education for eligible students ages 3-21.

In 2022, 58.8% of school-age special-needs children in New York State spent 80% or more of their day in a general education class, below the national average of 67.1%, according to a federal Education Department report. 

About one-fifth, or 17.3%, of students spent less than 40% of their school day in a general education classroom, according to the report.

"The kids that are in more isolated settings, even within a school, have a lack of social integration and they're with the same kids from first grade to high school," Wilson said.

A study released in 2022 by Indiana University researchers found that high schoolers with disabilities who spent 80% of their educational time in general education classrooms scored higher on state reading and math assessments compared with their peers in less-inclusive settings. The students were also better prepared for post-secondary education and employment opportunities, the study found.

And in a study published last year in the National Institutes of Health, researchers found that inclusive learning "promoted transformative growth in interpersonal relationships and communication skills for the students.

RISE program created

About a decade ago, district officials said a pair of Shoreham-Wading River teachers noticed that some students with disabilities who were segregated from the general population from an early age struggled with learning and developing social and emotional skills.

In response, the district created the Reaching Independence through Structured Education program, or RISE, according to Matt Millheiser, who runs the school’s special education department with Caitlin Gould.

Students in the RISE program can have intellectual disabilities like autism or physical impairments. Participants are also given the opportunity to work at various locations, including the school store, and play on a unified sports team.

Millheiser said after learning about similar initiatives elsewhere, the district also started the peer mentoring program.

"So when we heard about this idea of peer mentoring, we took it and ran with it and made kind of our own version of it, in which our students would be integrated into classrooms with their regular peers," Millheiser said. "But those peers would not be in there for the work in art and music, but in there to work with our students and develop relationships and help them with what projects they were doing."

The peer mentoring courses, which range from Spanish to music to technology and physical education, are offered as electives for participating general education students. The district offers seven courses, with 10 to 20 mentors in each class. 

Gould said the classes have grown in popularity among general population students.

"We knew we were creating something with our students in mind to get the best out of them," she said. "What we did not expect is how much it was going to change the lives of the peers."

'Brought me out of my comfort zone'

Madison Cummings, a senior at Shoreham-Wading River High School, said when she first joined the peer mentoring program through a theater class her freshman year, she didn’t expect to love the program as much as she does now.

"I would say it definitely brought me out of my comfort zone," Cummings, 18, said. "It has really benefited me because I feel like it changed me. It turned me into the person I am today."

The classes, she said, have not only made her more empathetic, but they have also given her the confidence to talk to new people. 

"You really don't know what anyone is going through," she said. "It's really benefited me to help people no matter what."

The teen said she hopes to become a special education teacher after college.

Minetti, the sophomore, said the program has also helped her discover a passion for teaching and helping other students.

"It really helped me find what I want to do in the future," Minetti said.

Joshua Mar-Mendoza, a RISE student, also participates in the district's inclusive music class. A drummer, he said the class has helped him build relationships with other students and boosted his confidence. He hopes music will play a part in his future.

"I want to follow my dreams," the 19-year-old said. 

Milheiser said the program has helped students forge friendships beyond the classroom.

"They talk on the phone, they hang out, they go to movies, they go to the diner, they do these things outside of school and what they're recognizing, I think, is how organic and how real they are," Milheiser said. 

Peer mentoring spreads in Suffolk

Shoreham-Wading River's success has sparked interest from other districts, either to create their own initiatives or send their students to the program, according to Tracy Von Eschen, director of special education and pupil personnel services. Officials estimated educators from 10 to 15 schools have visited the district to observe the classes or have shown interest.

Two districts that have implemented peer mentoring programs are Westhampton Beach and South Country.

During a recent cooking class at Bellport High School in the South Country school district, junior Luisa Figueroa helped Antonio Bernardglenn chop vegetables and cook ground beef for a concoction known as a "Walking Taco."

"You learn a lot and work with a lot of different people," Figueroa, 16, said. "You learn about the students. ... It’s just like new friends."

Jessica Prush, the district’s assistant director of special education, said the program is in its second year. The district also offers an art class and is working to expand its offerings.

Prush said for students with special needs, the program allows them to focus on life skills like communicating their needs and carrying out tasks. For general population students, especially those hoping to become educators, the program gives them valuable insight.

"They’re able to see that not all students learn the same way and it’s nice to see them take the mentorship and lead with their peers," she said. "Sometimes these students don’t come together on their own."

Bernardglenn, 17, a senior, said he enrolled in the class because he likes cooking. He said one of the more important parts of the class is "helping your friends."

In Westhampton Beach, Superintendent Caroline Probst said the district started offering a peer mentoring program to students in the Function Learning Academic Program, otherwise known as FALP, this school year.

The district currently has 12 students enrolled in an art class.

"They all come to the course for different reasons, but what they all have in common is that they really want to work collaboratively on projects with students from the functional academic learning program," Probst said of the general education students.

The students work with paint, chalk and other media, similar to a traditional classroom. But, Probst said, "the interactions are really just as important as the art project."

As the students collaborate, she said a "very genuine, mutual appreciation among all the students" is apparent in class.

And, she said, "We see those interactions extending beyond the classroom, which is just the most powerful thing."