Unionville-Chadds Ford presents 2024'27 special education plan ahead of April board vote
March 01, 2024 | Unionville-Chadds Ford SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania
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Unionville-Chadds Ford School District officials presented a draft three-year Special Education Plan (2024'27) at the Curriculum & Instruction committee meeting and said the board will vote on the plan at its April regular meeting. The plan is the district's response to Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) requirements and, as presented, totals roughly 125 pages.
Dr. Ryder, joined by Ms. Brown, said the district partnered with the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU) to collect steering-committee data and to facilitate anonymous feedback sessions. They said the steering committee focused on three questions: strengths of current supports, challenges, and priorities for the next three years. The presenters said that feedback primarily informed personnel-development priorities.
The presentation described the district's identification method for students with specific learning disabilities (the discrepancy model rather than an RTI application), oversight for nonresident and incarcerated students served at the Chester County Youth Center and Chester County Prison, and the district's approach to least restrictive environment (LRE) placement. "We don't want too much or too little; we have to hit it just right," Dr. Ryder said when describing LRE decisions.
Staff reviewed behavioral supports and restraint procedures, noting oversight requirements and that positive-behavior-support plans are tied to Functional Behavioral Assessments and a student's IEP. The district also listed contracted providers used for specialized services, including hearing, vision and orientation support from the CCIU and nursing or 1:1 care from agencies the district named during the meeting.
Administrators also described logistical details that PDE requires in the plan: teacher caseload caps tied to Chapter 14 of the Pennsylvania code, facility dimensions and capacities by room, and staff roles across levels of support (itinerant through full-time). Presenters said paraprofessionals receive 20 hours of annual professional development and the three-year plan foregrounds state-identified competencies for para-educators.
Dr. Ryder explained the public-review and submission timeline: the plan must be posted for roughly 28'30 days for comment, the board will vote in April, and the district must submit the final plan to PDE no later than May 1. She cautioned that the current draft still shows prior-plan assurances dated 2022 and that staff will remove and replace those signatures prior to the April submission. "Come April 15th, assuming that the board approves it, we will remove that documentation, upload the new, and then we'll be able to submit it to the state no later than May 1st," she said.
The committee asked clarifying questions about the origin of caseload numbers and whether MTSS rollout could prompt a future change from a discrepancy model to an RTI model; staff confirmed caseload calculations follow Chapter 14 and board staffing standards and said MTSS implementation will be monitored for its implications on identification methods.
The committee did not take a vote at the meeting. The Special Education Plan will be available for public review on the district website during the required comment window and then returned to the board for action in April.
Dr. Ryder, joined by Ms. Brown, said the district partnered with the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU) to collect steering-committee data and to facilitate anonymous feedback sessions. They said the steering committee focused on three questions: strengths of current supports, challenges, and priorities for the next three years. The presenters said that feedback primarily informed personnel-development priorities.
The presentation described the district's identification method for students with specific learning disabilities (the discrepancy model rather than an RTI application), oversight for nonresident and incarcerated students served at the Chester County Youth Center and Chester County Prison, and the district's approach to least restrictive environment (LRE) placement. "We don't want too much or too little; we have to hit it just right," Dr. Ryder said when describing LRE decisions.
Staff reviewed behavioral supports and restraint procedures, noting oversight requirements and that positive-behavior-support plans are tied to Functional Behavioral Assessments and a student's IEP. The district also listed contracted providers used for specialized services, including hearing, vision and orientation support from the CCIU and nursing or 1:1 care from agencies the district named during the meeting.
Administrators also described logistical details that PDE requires in the plan: teacher caseload caps tied to Chapter 14 of the Pennsylvania code, facility dimensions and capacities by room, and staff roles across levels of support (itinerant through full-time). Presenters said paraprofessionals receive 20 hours of annual professional development and the three-year plan foregrounds state-identified competencies for para-educators.
Dr. Ryder explained the public-review and submission timeline: the plan must be posted for roughly 28'30 days for comment, the board will vote in April, and the district must submit the final plan to PDE no later than May 1. She cautioned that the current draft still shows prior-plan assurances dated 2022 and that staff will remove and replace those signatures prior to the April submission. "Come April 15th, assuming that the board approves it, we will remove that documentation, upload the new, and then we'll be able to submit it to the state no later than May 1st," she said.
The committee asked clarifying questions about the origin of caseload numbers and whether MTSS rollout could prompt a future change from a discrepancy model to an RTI model; staff confirmed caseload calculations follow Chapter 14 and board staffing standards and said MTSS implementation will be monitored for its implications on identification methods.
The committee did not take a vote at the meeting. The Special Education Plan will be available for public review on the district website during the required comment window and then returned to the board for action in April.
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