Slippery Rock Area School District is forming a Best Buddies chapter at Slippery Rock High School.

Assistant superintendent Susan Miller said the school board approved its creation at Monday's meeting after being prompted by a student wanting to start a chapter for her senior project.

The program is an international initiative that pairs students with intellectual and developmental disabilities with students who choose to join the organization, according to Best Buddies International's website.

Miller said Slippery Rock Area High School has a unified sports team for students of all abilities, so a Best Buddies chapter could be built atop that foundation of students.

“It's an international organization built to foster relations between students,” Miller said. “We have a lot of students willing to volunteer. You have to make sure students want to be a part of it, but that's not a problem for us.”

Miller said it could be some time before a Best Buddies chapter actually gets off the ground. The school will have to fulfill requirements from the international organization and also do some fundraising to prepare a chapter.

Miller also said the school has a good special education program, which includes transition coordinator Melanie Cole, who will likely be involved in advising a Best Buddies club. The club is meant to add to the inclusive culture of the high school campus.

“We have a couple options to foster inclusion and we really have a strong program with Mrs. Cole,” Miller said. “We are doing some work to make sure that's limited not only to our gifted program.”