Special education Phoenix teacher wins Gaydos & Chad award

PHOENIX – A Valley teacher who extends her duties beyond her special education classroom has earned KTAR News 92.3 FM Gaydos & Chad’s Pay Tribute to a Teacher award for November.

Lianne McGinley teaches K-4 at Garfield Elementary at 13th and Roosevelt streets in Phoenix.

After the coronavirus pandemic pushed all learning online in the spring, McGinley reached out to her students in a big way.

“The pandemic was just really disastrous for so many of our families,” McGinley said. “They rely on school for food and clothing, sometimes.”

What can we do to make sure they’re OK? McGinley asked herself.

She collected more than 2,000 books and other learning materials to distribute to the children, many of whom didn’t have those kinds of educational resources at home.

McGinley also pulled together a drive for face masks to give to the families. With school food programs shut down, she delivered food to homes to make sure the kids, their siblings and parents had something to eat.

McGinley said she’d use the $2,500 prize to replace her son’s stolen bicycle, tires for her car and “maybe go have a nice dinner out.”

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