The Office of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Peoria and the FIRE Foundation of Central IL launched the Inclusive Education Conference on Friday, October 3rd, at the Spalding Retreat Center in Peoria. The conference, “FIRE’d Up for Inclusive Education: Supporting Students with Disabilities in Catholic Schools,” welcomed over100 teachers and administrators from all 41 schools across the diocese as well as many invited guests who support special needs inclusion in Catholic schools.

From left to right: Dr. Susie Cicciarelli (Associate Superintendent of Catholic Schools, Catholic Diocese of Peoria), Dr. Jay Percell (Interim Executive Director & Co-Founder), Bishop Louis Tylka, Mrs. Renee Percell (Co-Founder of the FIRE Foundation), and Dr. Jerry Sanderson (Superintendent of Catholic Schools, Catholic Diocese of Peoria)

Dr. Christie Bonfiglio, a leading professor from the University of Notre Dames Program for Inclusive Education, drew on her 20+ years of experience advocating for students with special needs in parochial schools, challenging the attendees to deepen their commitment to inclusion.  Participants also heard from leading local and regional education experts, including speakers from the University of Illinois, Illinois State University, the University of Kansas, and the Regional Office of Education 17. The conference focused on providing crucial training in inclusive strategies designed to meet the specialized learning needs of students with disabilities.

Dr. Christine Bonfiglio. is a Professor of Teaching and the founding Director of the Program for Inclusive Education within the Alliance for Catholic Education at the University of Notre Dame.

The success of this conference realizes a long-term goal for the FIRE Foundation of Central IL. As an affiliate of the FIRE Foundation (established over 25 years ago in Kansas City), the local organization was founded in Bloomington in 2019 to raise awareness and funding for special needs students. Partnering with the Diocese of Peoria, this event showcased the shared commitment to making Catholic education accessible and beneficial for every child.

FIRE Foundation of Central Illinois officially incorporated in 2019, and our efforts to promote inclusion began in earnest. Currently, we have three diocesan schools: Corpus Christi Catholic School in Bloomington, IL, and St. Jude Catholic School in Peoria, IL, and St. Thomas More High School in Champaign, IL. FIRE Foundation of Central Illinois is working to establish a network of resources between multiple schools in the diocese. Embracing and implementing inclusive education is an exciting movement in Catholic education and we hope you will join with us in this endeavor. This is a unique opportunity for all of the schools in the Peoria Diocese to live out the mission we are called to through our Catholic Faith.