SCHOOL BOARD HEARS PROPOSITION FOR A NEW SPECIAL EDUCATION SCHOOL

BY GUEST WRITER COLIN MOORE

At the February regularly scheduled school board meeting, Joyce Walker, Director of Student Services, Jennifer Thomas, Coordinator of Special Education, and Superintendent Dr. Andy Hill presented a new addition to the school district.

explains that a fundamental tool in other programs is a strong counseling presence.

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In the status quo, students with certain special needs are sent out of the district for a more specialized education environment. The primary differences outlined were that “the students are in a very small setting in a separate location.”

“Being in a separate location is largely important because it decreases the excess stimuli,” Thomas said.

The classrooms are laid out a little differently as well. Each classroom has around 8 to 12 students.

“Each room of this size will have two general education teachers,” Walker said. “These teachers are fundamental to ensuring class-wide progress.”

Each class will also have two intervention specialists to continue progress on students’ “Individualized Education Programs.”

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To help get these students back with their peers in the standard classroom, the school will have a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a Registered Behavior Technician. The BCBA will work with all the therapists, parents, and the entire team to ensure that the child is reaching their maximum potential, while the RCB is primarily responsible for the direct implementation of treatment plans related to skill- acquisition and behavior reduction.

More importantly, to ensure the development of these plans set, there will be a behavior technician aide in each classroom. Walker

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“Many times when students are dysregulated, it’s just because they have something they need to work through, they need to feel comfortable, and they need to have their voice heard,” Walker said. “They have to deal with some heavy emotions. A dedicated counselor will be fundamental to their success.”

Even though they are small in size, each building will also need to have an administrator, secretary, health aide, and custodian.

As for location, there would be no new building built. Dr. Hill describes the plan as renting a pre-existing space, with the current prospects being churches. He mentions a benefit of renting from churches is that in informal meetings they would see it less as a business expenditure and more as a service to the community.

The benefits of Wadsworth’s own program are fluid transition between the traditional learning environment, and the specialized program. Based on individual growth within the program, access to home base activities during the school day or during PTO planned events will be available. Temporary support based on student needs help students receiving services by either an IEP or 504 plan, and a greater ability to support students experiencing trauma/dysregulation.

Finally, the team presented the board with the financials of the matter. Due to how the district currently sends the students out, any price will benefit from a lot of savings from the move. This is because transportation tuition costs are no longer in question. For a K-4 program, they presented a very conservative estimate of a $203,183 bill, without venue costs. If the school sees success, the board has the option to move to a K-8 program or a K-12 costing 147,162--the latter saving the district $55,480.