The Southwest Organizing Project's (SWOP) Parent Mentor Program encourages parents to take their leadership beyond supporting students in the classroom through its Beyond the Classroom initiative. The initiative provides Parent Mentors with an opportunity to identify needs within their school communities and develop projects that create lasting impacts for students, families, and staff. On May 28, 2026, Parent Mentors at SWOP member institution Pasteur Elementary celebrated the completion of their Beyond the Classroom project: a newly created sensory room designed to support students with special needs.
The idea for the sensory room came directly from the experiences and observations of the Parent Mentors themselves. Recognizing that some students, particularly those with autism and other special needs, often become overstimulated during the school day, the parents saw a need for a dedicated space where children could decompress, regulate their emotions, and find a sense of calm.
"We knew that our school didn't have anything like this and as someone who has kids with autism, I thought it would be a great idea to create a space where they can come down from a bad day, relax and have their minds taken off of what upset them," shared Parent Mentor Maria Medrano.
The room that would eventually become the sensory room was previously used for storage. While others may have seen a cluttered space, the Pasteur Parent Mentors saw potential. Their vision was shaped by witnessing situations where students became overwhelmed and had nowhere to go to regroup. They believed every child deserved access to a supportive environment where they could take a moment for themselves and return to class feeling more prepared to learn.
Turning that vision into reality required determination, creativity, and teamwork. The Parent Mentors took it upon themselves to raise the necessary funds through fundraising efforts, selling items, and pooling their own resources, they gathered what was needed to completely transform the space.
Their hard work resulted in a freshly painted, furnished, and padded sensory room equipped to provide students with a safe and welcoming environment. The completed room stands as a testament to what can happen when parents come together around a shared goal and invest their time, energy, and resources into supporting their school community. Through the Beyond the Classroom initiative, these parents have left a lasting impact that will benefit students for years to come.
