Director of Special Education's Biography

Ms. Amy Moynihan

Taunton Public Schools recently named Amy Moynihan to the position of Director of Special Education Services, an area of personal focus and commitment since she began her Bridgewater State College preparation program to be a teacher.  Since her first year of employment with Taunton Public Schools, Amy has frequently been commended for the excellence of her teaching strategies, her responsiveness to students’ needs, her skill in working closely with parents and families and her professionalism.  Maintaining a balance between an individual student’s strengths and challenges and the expectations of educational content to be covered to meet state standards calls for a teacher’s awareness of the delicate nature of that balance.  Over and over again, Amy’s supervisors cited her determination to skillfully manage that balance, to create a positive learning environment, to support the academic success of her students and for her classroom management style.  In 2009, Amy was appointed to the position of Special Education Coordinator PreK-8 as well as the Special Education Professional Development Coordinator.  Moving into the realm of administration provided a rich opportunity to familiarize herself with the broader issues involved in providing special education services to a number of students across the district.  Observing the delivery of special education services beyond her own classroom and engaging with district teachers, building principals, and student families allowed her to effect positive change for students, introduce improved strategies for monitoring their progress and propose district improvements to benefit students.   As Special Education Director, it is imperative that the district select a person who can apply those skills to the population of students in our district who are deemed to require a personalized approach to their learning.  Overseeing the delivery of educational services across multiple locations and involving a team of special education teachers calls for vigilance.  Amy Moynihan is the right person for this task and will work to safeguard the needs of students identified as in need of special services.  Amy is a wife and mother to two children.