Commitment to Inclusion

Step 1 of 3

Please fill out this online form to participate in the Unified Champion School program and to become eligible for the Unified School resources through Special Olympics MN. This form is a formal expression of your school's commitment to inclusion, acceptance and respect of all students through the implementation of the Unified Schools program.

Unified Schools is made possible by a generous grant from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs. An important requirement for all Unified Champion Schools is to provide activity reports including participating numbers and descriptions of events and activities. Reports will be due throughout the year and this is a requirement to maintain the title of a Unified Champion School.
Part 1: School Demographics
School level*
Please complete a separate form for each school if registering as a district.
School name*
School district*
Approximate # of students that attend your school*
School liaison name*
Liaison role in school*
Liaison email address*
Liaison phone number (primary)*
Liaison phone number (secondary) - optional
Name of administrator responsible for approval*
Administrator role in school*
School address*
Street Address Address Line 2 City State Zip code

Part 3: Consent and Waiver
Please read the text below and ensure that you understand the waiver points before submitting the form.
Consent*
- I hereby certify that I have read the text below and that my school agrees to become a Unified Champion School.
Unified Schools is a strategy to activate youth, engage educators, and promote school communities of acceptance and inclusion where all young people are agents of change. Utilizing the sports and education initiatives of Special Olympics, Unified Schools:
- Fosters respect and dignity for people with intellectual disabilities
- Changes actions and attitudes among their peers without intellectual disabilities
Unified Schools is funded by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs. For 45 years, Special Olympics Minnesota has evolved as more than an organization focused on just delivering sports training and competition for individuals with intellectual disabilities. We have become a part of a global movement relevant to all of us, where, through inclusive programming, young people with and without intellectual disabilities engage together, using sports as the platform for community change and social impact.

As a Unified Champion School you agree to participate in the following initiatives:
- Create an inclusive student leadership club that provides students with and without intellectual disabilities opportunities to promote Unified Schools activities in the school and in the community
- Host at least one Bullying Prevention Campaign
- Provide the opportunity for at least one Unified sporting opportunity within your school
- Identify Special Olympics Minnesota Unified Schools logo on printed materials, t-shirts, etc.
- Commit one teacher or staff member to be a Unified Champion School liaison—a point of contact for all Unified School activities who will advise the students in projects and events
- Agree to allow Special Olympics Minnesota to use any and all photos of said school educators and students unless otherwise noted. (Photos will be used for related publications.)
- Provide Special Olympics Minnesota with participant number reports along with pictures, stories, and videos related to any Unified activities
It is understood that Special Olympics Minnesota will provide:
- A partnership to help schools provide quality sporting opportunities for students with disabilities (section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, IDEA and ESSA)
- Consultation, education, support and resource assistant for all sporting programs and activities that promote inclusion, acceptance, respect, and dignity for all students
- Resources to support school based Unified School activities
- Leadership training and networking for educational leaders and students
- Guidance on SOMN and Unified School policies and procedures, training manuals, schedules, paperwork, and other initiative information
In addition, the School Delegation raises and expends funds under the name of Special Olympics. The Delegation School Liaison will comply with the Centralized Accounting policies as determined necessary by the State Office. All monies raised and expended in the name of Special Olympics will be documented according to accounting policies and procedures set by the State Office.
Notes or comments - optional

Step 1 of 3

Part 1: School Demographics

Part 2: Program Information

Part 3: Consent and Waiver