$9M investment will bring sensory rooms to every Brooklyn District 75 elementary school

A new $9.25 million investment will bring sensory rooms to every District 75 elementary school in Brooklyn, marking a major expansion of services for students with special needs.

A party atmosphere filled P396K in Brownsville Tuesday, where bubbles and balloons greeted visitors as city officials unveiled the plan for District 75 schools serving students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

"Hundreds of kids, thousands of kids will be able to benefit, and they will get the space that they need and they will get the resources that they need," said Danny Baird, whose daughter has autism.

Sensory rooms – which provide spaces for play, swinging, and crafting – are designed as more than a place to have fun.

"This helps them to really just self-regulate and put them in a zone where they are able to calm down, focus, bring themselves back," explained Joseph Mendez, a paraprofessional in District 75.

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso signed a ceremonial check, calling the initiative one of the largest investments of his tenure. He said the effort is also personal, citing his young son, Andres, who has autism.

"He's stimulated through his sense of sight as well. And these are all things you can provide in a sensory room that a lot of schools don't have. So I want my son exposed that and the school he has currently doesn't have that," he told Brooklyn reporter Hannah Kliger. "There's 37 buildings that we're working towards. Eighteen are buildings that are ready tomorrow for us to start building out the sensory rooms."

The funding makes Brooklyn the first borough to fully implement such an initiative.

April is Autism Awareness Month, and leaders say the rooms will give students more individualized support in environments designed to feel safe, welcoming, and engaging.

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