Prom held at Hercules High celebrates students with special needs

HERCULES, Calif. - The West Contra Costa Unified School District held their annual "extensive support needs prom" this weekend. 

Annual prom for students with special needs

What we know:

The occasion, held at Hercules High School, was curated for students with special needs such as autism or moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. 

Families were also invited to attend and celebrate with their students. 

Tracy, a mother of one of the students in attendance, said her son would not miss out on any opportunity to hang out with his friends.

"I'm really grateful that Contra Costa seems to have one of the better programs for children with disabilities, and I definitely appreciate that," she said.  "It’s not been an easy journey, but it's definitely paying off now that he has all these opportunities available to him."

Staff in the WCCUSD Special Education Department helped put on this dance, including occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, nurses, paraprofessionals, and teachers. 

Supt. Cheryl Cotton said she was proud of her team for building an intentional space for their students. 

"Our… spring dance exemplifies West Contra Costa’s belief in joyful, vibrant learning communities for every child," she said. 

For students with extensive support needs, a "traditional prom" with loud music and radiant light displays can sometimes be overstimulating, so this event is designed to be an intentionally designed space for students in the program to be in the community.

This is the fourth year the district has put on this event, and the location of the dance rotates across the district's high schools.