**When is it Time? Guiding Families Toward the Right Support

​Knowing when to have the conversation is one thing. Finding the words in the moment — with a resistant parent, a gray-zone student, a faculty team that's burnt out — is another. In this session, we'll move from framework to practice, working through real scenarios that reflect the situations educators actually face.

Together, we'll explore how to recognize when a student's needs exceed what a current placement can authentically provide, how to introduce Specialized Support Schools as genuine partners rather than last resorts, and how to hold the tension between retention goals and students thriving with clarity and integrity.

Participants will leave with refined language for parent-teacher conferences, a sharpened decision-making framework, and permission to have these hard conversations with both compassion and confidence.

​SPEAKER: Sarah Szen is the Chief Enrollment and Strategy Officer at The Churchill School and Center, a K–12 school serving students with language-based learning disabilities. She has been part of the Churchill community since 2015, holding progressively senior roles across admissions, enrollment management, communications, and institutional strategy. Before moving into admissions, Sarah worked as an early childhood and Montessori educator. Her experience as both a classroom teacher and enrollment leader informs her thoughtful, child-centered approach to helping families and educators navigate questions of school readiness, learning needs, and educational fit.

​**This session satisfies ISAAGNY's Commitment to Inclusion; please complete this form after you attend.