Message from Superintendent Laurie Heinz on Special Education
To all District 64 Parents/Guardians and Staff:
I am writing to provide clarity and factual information concerning placement of students in instructional classrooms within our special education program, specifically at the fifth grade level.
At the Monday, November 13, 2017 Board of Education meeting, several parents addressed the Board during the public comment period regarding their concerns about their current fourth grade children transitioning to the middle school one year early in August 2018. This special education programming model potentially impacts a small group of fourth graders from two D64 schools. These students may be on track to transition from their elementary school in fifth grade, instead of sixth grade.
Both the Board and administration were unaware of the parents’ concerns prior to the meeting; as a result, we were listening to their concerns for the first time. At the end of the meeting, Jane Boyd, Director of Student Services, was asked to address the Board and provide her response to the parents’ concerns. This is not a common Board practice, but took place because of Ms. Boyd’s imminent retirement announced that evening, making her unavailable to speak at the next Board meeting on December 11, 2017.
Since the November 13 meeting, I have researched the special education practices and service delivery model in District 64 prior to my arrival in 2014. To quickly summarize, District 64 has utilized a number of different models to deliver instruction and services to special education students. Over the years, the District previously had been part of a special education cooperative Maine Township Special Education Program (MTSEP) that provided a multitude of programs and services for our students both inside and outside of the District. For several years, all elementary students eligible for special education were placed at either Carpenter or Franklin and divided into either a dedicated elementary or intermediate grade classroom based on chronological age. More recently, the District created instructional classrooms for special education students at each of the elementary schools, allowing children with an IEP to attend their home/neighborhood school.
As a result of this decision to move students to their neighborhood schools, a new challenge emerged. For the last few years, based on the grade-level needs of each building’s students, several instructional classes included students spanning in age from Kindergarten to fifth grade. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) requires all classrooms to maintain a four-year chronological age range for students. As a result, in order to continue to educate students at their home schools, the District has applied for a waiver from this classroom requirement from ISBE on a yearly basis.
Beginning in the 2015-16 school year, Ms. Boyd and her team began reviewing options for meeting student needs as the District was going to again exceed the grade-level span for an instructional classroom. Because our middle schools offer a wide array of opportunities to meet the needs of special education students, placing a student one year early into their middle school was an option that was considered. Since 2015, three students have been transitioned to the middle school instructional classroom one year early. Instruction is delivered in a classroom similar to their elementary classroom, and also allows student access to the elective programs and daily interaction with peers within their own age span.
Since the November Board meeting, I have spoken to several families impacted by a fifth grade transition to middle school in 2018-19, as well as the parents of other elementary students in the instructional program who may be considered for such placement in the future. As we look ahead to 2018-19, we remain committed to working through the IEP process where staff and parents take an active role in identifying the specific educational needs and goal areas for each child. I am currently reviewing the instructional classroom model between the elementary and middle schools and the District’s current staffing plan in these programs.
I want to reassure all parents that District 64 is committed to providing students with a continuum of services to meet the needs of all learners. Our offerings for special education students far exceed what is required in terms of a free and appropriate public education. We believe this is a point of pride shared by our District and this community.
I will be updating the Board at the December 11, 2017 meeting. It is my hope that the new Interim Director replacing Ms. Boyd will be approved by the Board on December 11. We will communicate directly with families involved individually and follow our IEP process for all students for the 2018-19 school year.
Regards,
Dr Laurie Heinz, Superintendent