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O

ver 250 heads of school, 
superintendents, deci-
sion makers and lead-
ers convened on March 6 with a 
common mission: to exchange 
ideas, share resources and nur-
ture aspirations for the advance-
ment of special education in 
Michigan. The James Grosfeld 
Center for Special Education 
and Support Services, a division 
of Yeshiva Beth Yehudah, host-
ed this impactful symposium, 
drawing educational leaders 
from across the state. With broad 
attendance from more than 70 
organizations and schools ded-
icated to the education of chil-
dren, the uplifting event high-
lighted all that can, and must, be 
done with determination, focus 
and attention to this critical need.
The Grosfeld Center is a 
dream come true for every par-
ent of a child who struggles in a 
traditional classroom. One hun-
dred and one experienced edu-
cators work with students who 
have autism, deafness, emotional 
disturbance, hearing impairment, 
specific learning disabilities, 
speech or language impairment, 
developmental delays, auditory 
processing disorders, cognitive 
impairment, behavioral disor-
ders, selective mutism, Down 
Syndrome, ADHD, OCD and 
language processing disorders in 
a variety of settings — in the least 
restrictive environment for each 
child whether from the early 
intervention classroom in the 
preschool to children integrated 
as much as possible into general 
education classrooms and aca-
demic enrichments. The goal? 
That each student realizes his or 
her potential for success in work, 
school and life. 
The Grosfeld Center thor-
oughly addresses issues that can 
impact learning, mental health, 
and social development and 
repeatedly tests and monitors 
students’ progress throughout 
elementary school. Needless to 
say, this innovation and this level 
of individualized educational 

support for students is vital to 
every child in our community. It 
may be uncommon, but it’s not 
impossible, according to educa-
tors at the Yeshiva. 

THE SYMPOSIUM
The symposium had one clear 
goal: to spark innovation in spe-
cial education. Throughout the 
day, distinguished experts in the 
field spoke to the group, enlight-
ening the audience with valuable 
insights. The event culminated 
with a dynamic panel discussion, 
where participants exchanged 
ideas and shared their perspec-
tives. In hosting this gathering, 
the Yeshiva showcased their pro-
grams in order to inspire others 
to embark on similar endeavors 
for the benefit of children in their 
own school communities.
 The symposium was chaired 
by Mark Zausmer, manag-
ing shareholder of Zausmer 
Law P
.C., who felt compelled 
to become involved with the 
Grosfeld Center after his wife 
Laura was given a tour. “This has 

been a labor of love,
” he said as 
he welcomed guests to the event. 
“The purpose of the sympo-
sium is simply to gather the best 
minds in this state in the area of 
special education services in an 
effort to share best practices, to 
encourage each other and to find 
ways for each of us to collaborate 
and make this area of education 
available to every child across 
every district. We encourage any-
body in a position of influence 
to do more for this vulnerable 
population of children whose 
greatness lies just over the next 
bump in the road.
”
Paul Mersino, president of 
Butzel Long and active with 
Catholic Foundation of Michigan 
Board, was the first to speak. 
Mersino met Yeshiva President 
Gary Torgow, who set up a 
tour of the Grosfeld Center 
for the Catholic Foundation 
of Michigan. “Here we were, 
a group of Catholic parents 
raising funds for the Catholic 
Foundation of Southeast 
Michigan, invited into this Jewish 

day school with open arms,
” he 
said. “They rolled out the red 
carpet, showed us around the 
school, and quite frankly, they 
blew our socks off. Everything 
they do here just screams excel-
lence. The school was thriving. 
What was clear walking through 
the school was that not only is 
this amazing for these students 
who need this help and their 
families, it’s good for the entire 
school. It’s good for the entire 
community.
“We walked out of Yeshiva 
Beth Yehudah that day inspired, 
confident and completely ener-
gized,
” he said. “I thought, ‘as 
amazing as what they are doing, 
that is something we can do too 
in our own way.
’” He set out to 
make a difference.
Mersino was compelled to 
begin an effort to encourage and 
raise awareness and gather funds 
to strengthen and support this 
mission for children in Catholic 
schools throughout Metro 
Detroit. “My youngest son, Jacob, 
5, was blessed with the gift of 
Down syndrome, and Jacob is 
one of my favorite people in 
the world. I would not change a 
thing about him even if I could, 
but there is a reality when it 
comes to educational options and 
opportunities, in particular with 
some of our private parochial 
schools,
” Mersino said. “Some of 
those options just aren’t there for 
Jacob that are for his brothers. 
It’s not because the schools don’t 
want to, but because they’re not 
equipped. They don’t know that 
it’s a possibility, perhaps.
” 

OVERVIEW OF SPECIAL 
EDUCATION SERVICES
Lissie Rothstein, director of 
the Grosfeld Center for Special 
Education and Support Services, 
shared how the school has been 
working the past decade to bring 
their vision to fruition. “Our 
aim in showcasing our approach 
here today is to inspire others to 
continue to foster positive change 
and to collaborate to advocate 

Symposium chair 
Mark Zausmer 
emceed the event.

