Copperas Cove ISD moves autism walk indoors, keeps family event Saturday

Families heading to Copperas Cove ISD’s Walk for Autism and Family Engagement Day on Saturday, April 25, were directed to the Copperas Cove Junior High gym instead of Bulldawg Stadium, with the event still set for 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. CCISD told parents to park in the front parking lot or the stadium lot and enter through the gym doors.

The district also said the CTE Farmers Market would be set up near the gym entrance, turning the morning into more than a simple walk. Copperas Cove High School described the event as a time for community and connection, built around celebrating, supporting and walking together.

The indoor move mattered because the district had originally listed the Autism Walk on its events calendar at Bulldawg Stadium for the same time slot. Shifting the gathering to the junior high gym kept the program on schedule while preserving the family-centered event that CCISD has tied to Autism Awareness Month.

That focus fits a broader district message this spring. CCISD said its schools work to make sure every Bulldawg feels accepted and safe, and its Special Education Department says it provides autism support services along with communication, vision, hearing impaired, functional life skills, vocational and behavioral supports for qualified students.

The autism walk has become a familiar part of Copperas Cove’s school calendar after a long break. Local coverage said the district had hosted the walk for six years before 2023, then brought it back after about a five-year hiatus tied to staff changes and the pandemic. By 2023, more than 300 students and families were expected, along with more than 30 booths, sensory activities, cheerleaders, roller scooter limbo, booth bingo cards and prize bags.

Parents and community partners have helped define the event’s role in town. Jennine Trejo and Briana Garza have said the walk mattered because it gave the community a chance to understand and accept children with autism, and Tiffany Holley said the event was personal because her son is autistic. Past walks also drew support from sponsors including Extraco Banks, Rocks & Roots Realty Group and Accurate Construction, helping make the morning a visible show of support for local families.