Reed school district inclusion efforts filmed for documentary series

Del Mar Middle School Principal Chad Stuart (left) and Sam Drazin, executive director of the nonprofit Changing Perspectives, are filmed walking and talking on Sept. 24 at the school for ‘All Access with Andy Garcia,’ a public-television series. Drazin says the Reed district is a model of how schools can put the nonprofit’s work into practice. (Francisco Martinez / The Ark)

A film crew for a public-television docuseries hosted by actor Andy Garcia spent Sept. 24 in Reed Union School District classrooms, recording how the district includes students with disabilities.

The segment, “Breaking Down Barriers for Neurodivergent Learners,” is set to air on “All Access with Andy Garcia,” a short-form series that runs between longer programs on public-television stations nationwide. Garcia is known for roles in “Ocean’s Eleven” and “The Godfather Part III.”

Documentarians filmed interviews with district officials inside an unused Del Mar Middle School classroom and captured classroom footage there as well as at Reed and Bel Aire elementary schools. The segment is scheduled for release before the end of the year.

The district board approved the filming agreement without discussion Sept. 15. It barred filming any student in an identifiable way without a parent’s signed consent, cost the district nothing and gives the district a chance to review footage of its students and staff before broadcast.

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