They showed up 30 minutes early before the rush of students and music would soon overwhelm the gym.
It was the night of Lincoln East High School’s homecoming dance and Kaden Bowen, his friend Ella Swank and their classmates were ready to have fun.
Ella Swank (left) and Kaden Bowen at Lincoln East's homecoming dance on Sept. 16.
COURTESY PHOTO
Even though Kaden uses a wheelchair and is nonverbal, accommodations from Lincoln Public Schools — like allowing Bowen and Swank, his general education peer, to come during a less-stimulating time — ensured that happened.
“He was smiling and happy when he got home,†Kaden’s mother Michelle Bowen said. “He enjoys being around people, so it was a nice experience.â€
LPS offers some form of accommodations for special education students at all dances, said special education supervisor Mindy Roberts. These include providing additional adult supervision and pairing students with general education classmates, following the model of unified sports and classes offered at LPS.
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The accommodations are not necessarily new to the district, Roberts said, but there has been a "conscious effort" this year to grow equitable opportunities for all special education students in events that take place outside of school.
"We felt like homecoming was such a great opportunity to really hone in on that," she said.
This is the first year Lincoln High School has implemented specific special education accommodations for its dance, which is on Friday, said Carissa Stock, the school's special education coordinator.
On Thursday, students took a tour of the gym where the dance will take place to become familiar with the setting and to locate sensory rooms or places to get a drink of water in advance.
Then on the night of the dance, students will get to enter 15 minutes early to take photos and get acclimated.
Kaden Bowen (front left) joined other special education students at Lincoln East High School for the school's homecoming dance Sept. 16.Â
COURTESY PHOTO
In the lead-up to homecoming, special education classes have been reading stories about dances and what they look like, too, Stock said. And in the school's Unified P.E. class — which is new this year as well — students learned dances like the Cupid Shuffle.
"Our students are so excited to come to the dance, and we're just equally as excited as a staff to see our students' faces light up," Stock said.
Michelle Bowen said it's great that LPS has accommodations in place to make all students — like her son Kaden, who has cerebral palsy — feel included and welcome.
"It shouldn't be any different for them to go to homecoming than anybody else," she said. "It's something that they should be able to get to do."Â
Pronoun policies Omaha has been sort of ground zero in Nebraska for the debate about how schools should approach the use of pronouns in the classroom.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha last month released a new gender identity policy for schools that covered the use of pronouns, dress codes and participation in sports, saying those should be determined by biological sex at birth, the Omaha World-Herald reported. The policy also banned treatments and surgeries that run counter to Catholic teaching.Â
The archdiocese later said it would delay implementation of the new rules.
The Diocese of Lincoln does not have a set policy addressing pronoun use in schools, but uses scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other church documents when addressing gender identity issues, according to the Rev. Lawrence Stoley, superintendent of diocesan schools.
One of those documents is a 2019 tract from the Congregation for Catholic Education entitled "Male and Female He Created Them: Towards a Path of Dialogue on the Question of Gender Theory in Education," which largely draws from long-standing Catholic teaching on sexuality.
"Nothing has changed at this time in our approach to pronouns or dress code and we will continue to follow the teaching and tradition of the church as we address any situations that may arise," Stoley said in an email after the archdiocese released its own policy.
At LPS, the district uses a federal Title IX process to review accommodations for transgender or gender-fluid students, including the use of preferred pronouns/names, according to guidance shared with the Journal Star.
Parents must consent to any accommodations — such as changing how a teacher addresses a student by pronoun or name — before they are made.Â
Top Journal Star Photos for September
Lincoln North Star runs out before a football game between Millard South on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022 ,at UBT Stadium in Lincoln.
NOAH RIFFE Journal Star
Nebraska's student section cheers on the Huskers during a timeout in the fourth set against Ohio State on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, at the Devaney Sports Center.
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Nebraska players dogpile onto Madi Kubik after she scored match point against Ohio State in the fifth set on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, at the Devaney Sports Center.
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Luke Bryan performs during his 2022 Farm Tour show on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, at Stock Hay & Grain Farm in Murdock.
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Fans cheer as Luke Bryan performs during his 2022 Farm Tour show on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, at Stock Hay & Grain Farm in Murdock.
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Norfolk's Brooklyn Branz (left) high-fives Kierstyn Linn (right) after making a catch in the sixth inning against Lincoln East on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, at Doris Bair Complex in Lincoln.
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
York players warm up as the sun begins to set before the Dukes' game against Waverly on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, in Waverly.
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Norfolk's Ava Borgman reaches out for a ball hit by Lincoln East on Tuesday, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, at Doris Bair Complex in Lincoln.
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Nebraska head coach John Cook waves to the crowd after his 800th career win after defeating Michigan State, Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, at Devaney Sports Center.
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
Pita & Naan's Omar Attaie (right) and his father, Mahboob Attaie, pose for a portrait at the restaurant, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, in Lincoln.
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
Supporters of Earnest Jackson, including cousin Millie Rush (from left), mother Brenda Jackson-Williams and cousin Sabrina McGraw, all of Omaha, gather in a circle after the Nebraska Board of Pardons denied his request for a sentence commutation in September.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star file photo
Oklahoma wide receiver Jalil Farooq (3) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Nebraska in the first quarter Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
NOAH RIFFE, Journal Star
Nebraska's Anthony Grant (10) hurdles Oklahoma's Kani Walker (26) and Damond Harmon (17) on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Nebraska interim head coach Mickey Joseph takes the field with the Huskers before the game against Oklahoma on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Lincoln High's Liam Thew (33) warms up before Friday's game between Lincoln High and Grand Island at the Beechner Athletic Complex.
NOAH RIFFE, Journal Star
Lincoln Southeast's Max Buettenback (25) reels in an interception over Lincoln North Star's Braeden Sunken (7) and his teammate Nate McCashland (3) during the first quarter Friday at Seacrest Field.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Workers assemble a set for Fox Big Noon Kickoff show, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022 at University of Nebraska Union, in Lincoln.
NOAH RIFFE Journal Star
Lincoln East's Kamdyn Roebke catches a pass against Lincoln Northeast on Thursday at Seacrest Field.Â
NOAH RIFFE, Journal Star
Lincoln East's Hudson Davy races toward the finish line in the boys varsity race during the Harold Scott Invite on Thursday at Pioneers Park.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Cross country runners compete in the Harold Scott Invite on Thursday at Pioneers Park.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
State Sen. Suzanne Geist of Lincoln (left) is cheered on by her husband Mark Geist as she announces her bid to be Lincoln's next mayor on Wednesday at MoMo Pizzeria & Ristorante.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Nebraska's Bekka Allick (5) reacts after dropping a point in the first set against Stanford on Tuesday at the Devaney Sports Center.
NOAH RIFFE, Journal Star
Mickey Joseph speaks at his first news conference as Nebraska's interim football coach Tuesday. “For right now, my No. 1 focus and the staff’s focus is the players, that we make sure that they’re OK," he said.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Sam Simpson on Friday walks through a field of U.S. flags set up in memory of those who died on 9/11, Friday, Sept. 9. Volunteers placed 2,977 flags at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's East Campus and wrote thank you cards for local firefighters, law enforcement and residents at the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Healthcare System.
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
A Nebraska fan reacts to a missed field goal as time expired in the Huskers' 45-42 loss to Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.
NOAH RIFFE Journal Star
Nebraska wide receiver Trey Palmer (3) can't pull in a pass against Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.
NOAH RIFFE Journal Star
Lincoln Southwest's Jack Baptista (3) dives for the pylon against Lincoln East on Friday, Sept. 9, at Seacrest Field.
NOAH RIFFE Journal Star
Lincoln North Star's Dylan Hallett (3) tackles Kearney's Kole Throckmorton (91) on Thursday, Sept. 8, at Seacrest Field.
NOAH RIFFE Journal Star
Aurora's Carlos Collazo (left) is tackled by Ashland-Greenwood's Logan Sobota (center) and Thomas Spears (right) during a run in the second quarter Friday, Sept. 9, in Ashland.
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Ashland-Greenwood's Dane Jacobsen practices throws during warmups before the Bluejays' game against Aurora on Friday, Sept. 9, in Ashland.
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
A look at Nebraska's light show after the third quarter of the Georgia Southern game Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
Scott Frost enters a truck to exit Memorial Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 11, after he was fired as Nebraska's head football coach.
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
Eli Soell of Lincoln (right) celebrates a Nebraska touchdown against Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
Georgia Southern's Kyle Vantrease leaps over Nebraska's Ernest Hausmann (bottom left) and Luke Reimer (bottom center) to score the game-winning touchdown on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
Nebraska's Kaitlyn Hord celebrates after scoring a point against Long Beach State on Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Devaney Sports Center.
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
Nebraska volleyball head coach John Cook (left) talks with Tyler Hildebrand, Long Beach State's head coach and a former assistant at Nebraska under Cook, on Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Devaney Sports Center.
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
S-E-M's Creyton Line (left) grabs the helmet of Parkview Christian's Alex Rohrbaugh on Friday, Sept. 9, at Larry and Carol Frost Field.
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
Nebraska head coach Scott Frost walks off the field after the Huskers lost to Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.
NOAH RIFFE Journal Star
Nebraska's bench reacts to a play during the match against Creighton on Wednesday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
NOAH RIFFE, Journal Star
Nebraska's Lindsay Krause (22) hits a ball past Creighton defenders on Wednesday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
NOAH RIFFE, Journal Star
A airman walks along the wing of now retired WC-135C/W, during a retirement ceremony for the final "nuke sniffer" aircraft used by The Fightin’ Fifty-Fifth at the Lincoln Airport on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, in Lincoln, NE. The WC-135 Constant Phoenix is a special-purpose aircraft derived from the Boeing C-135 Stratolifter and used by the United States Air Force. Its mission is to collect samples from the atmosphere for the purpose of detecting and identifying nuclear explosions. It is also informally referred to as the "weather bird" or "the sniffer" by workers on the program and international media respectively. The 55th Wing will retired one of it jets and welcomed its latest during a 1 p.m. ceremony at the Lincoln Airport. The Fightin’ Fifty-Fifth officially retired the WC-135C/W and officially welcomed WC-135R tail number 4836 to its fleet. Tail 4836 is the first of three WC-135R deliveries to the wing, while tail 2667 is the last of the old WC-135C/W fleet to be retired.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Shawna Fosket holds a Super Punch, a punch needle tool she's worked to develop. A  has raised almost $6,000.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Lincoln High's Faith Van Eck (left) attempts to block Lincoln Northeast's Genna LeMay in the second set at Lincoln Northeast on Tuesday.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Nebraska's Nicklin Hames (center) reacts after a serve by Lexi Rodriguez (right) won the second set for the Huskers at the Devaney Sports Center on Saturday.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Nebraska's Bekka Allick (left) and Nicklin Hames celebrate after a Husker kill against Mississippi in the second set at the Devaney Sports Center on Saturday.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Nebraska linebacker Ernest Hausmann takes the field before the game against North Dakota on Saturday. Hausmann, a true freshman, played 40 snaps in the game.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Nebraska edge rusher Garrett Nelson walks off the field after the Huskers' win against North Dakota at Memorial Stadium in September. Nelson announced Tuesday that he will enter the NFL Draft.
Journal Star file photo
Nebraska running back Ajay Allen celebrates his fourth-quarter touchdown against North Dakota on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
NOAH RIFFE, Journal Star
A first-quarter moon rises over Memorial Stadium toward the end of the Nebraska-North Dakota game on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Nebraska's Anthony Grant (left) tries to break loose from North Dakota's Marcus Vaughn-Jones (9)Â on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Nebraska coach Scott Frost talks with North Dakota coach Bubba Schweigert before Saturday's game at Memorial Stadium.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Fans arrive at Memorial Stadium before the North Dakota game on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Nebraska head coach Scott Frost high-fives a young fan before the North Dakota game on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Lincoln High players Adonis Hutchinson (2), Javon Leuty (22) and Beni Ngoyi (8) walk out of the tunnel before taking on Omaha Northwest on Friday at Beechner Complex.Â
NOAH RIFFE, Journal Star
Lincoln Southeast's Henry Woods (top) is brought down by Lincoln East's Carter Tempelmeyer on Friday at Seacrest Field.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Mario Garcia of Lincoln, a passenger on the first flight to Houston early Friday, picks up souvenirs at Lincoln Airport's first flight ceremony.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Lincoln North Star's Jace Coleman (14) is tackled by Lincoln Northeast on Thursday at Seacrest Field.
NOAH RIFFE, Journal Star
Lincoln North Star players celebrate after winning a softball game against Lincoln Pius X Thursday at Doris Bair Softball Complex.
NOAH RIFFE, Journal Star
Nebraska's Lexi Rodriguez (center left) and Madi Kubik (top right) celebrate with their team Kubik's match-ending kill against Loyola Marymount on Thursday at the Devaney Sports Center.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Nebraska's Madi Kubik (top left) reacts after a kill by teammate Lindsay Krause (center) against Loyola Marymount on Thursday at the Devaney Sports Center.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Danish artist Julie Sass works Wednesday to assemble her show, “IMAGE: temporary constellation,†at Fiendish Plots at 2130 Magnum Circle.
NOAH RIFFE, Journal Star
Construction of the new football training complex has progressed to the point that fans will be able to access the northeast corner of Memorial Stadium this season.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Contact the writer at zhammack@journalstar.com or 402-473-7225. On Twitter @HammackLJS
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