Kennett presents draft special education plan; district flagged on assessments, placements and evaluations

Pupil‑services staff presented a draft special education plan to the Kennett Consolidated School District curriculum committee on Feb. 26, outlining required state timelines, areas the Pennsylvania Department of Education has flagged for corrective action, and a community‑driven parent‑training component.

"The plan is required by the state. It is a three‑year cycle aligned with our comprehensive plan," Miss Jones said, describing the plan as an "action plan that describes the school board's commitment to providing a quality education to each of its students eligible for special education services." She told the committee the draft will be posted on the district website for 30 days for public comment, with an anticipated return to the full board for approval on April 8 and submission to the Pennsylvania Department of Education by May 1.

Miss Jones said the district was monitored using 2021–22 submissions and, based on that data, was flagged on three indicators: Indicator 3 (state assessments — participation and gaps in proficiency, with participation concerns in grades including 8th and 11th), Indicator 5 (educational environments) and Indicator 11 (timely evaluations). She said some monitoring will be addressed through the departmental audit process and corrective‑action timelines outside the plan.

On identification rates, Miss Jones said the district’s special education identification rate was 15.5% as of Dec. 1 and "likely will be closer to 17%" by year end. For Indicator 5 she said the district exceeds state targets for students spending 80% or more of their day in general education, but was above the target for students educated out of district — 6.7% in 2021–22 versus a target of 4.4% — and therefore needs to invest in expanded in‑district low‑incidence programming (autism, emotional disturbance and multiple disabilities).

The committee discussed Indicator 11, which centers on completing initial evaluations within a required 60‑day timeline. Miss Jones attributed the district’s shortfall to a shortage of school psychologists and described mitigation strategies including school‑psychology internships, contracting with independent providers and partnering with intermediate units. She said internship stipends are increasingly required by universities and estimated the going rate at about $25,000 per year per intern, while noting a single outsourced evaluation can cost about $25,100–$75,100.

Miss Jones also described a large steering committee that helped draft the plan’s parent‑training and outreach components: "We had 45 members in total" including district staff, teachers, CCIU representatives, parents, advocates and board members, she said. The steering group recommended three core annual trainings and five mini‑sessions (topics include IEP basics and transition planning, parent rights and procedural safeguards, tracking student growth and interpreting assessment results, positive behavior supports, and navigating health care/support systems). The presenter said the steering‑committee survey responses were strongly positive among the 15 respondents the team had analyzed as of the presentation.

Teacher and parent speakers praised the steering process for connecting families and producing actionable training and outreach ideas. "It was a really meaningful experience ... I would do it again," said Ashley Long, a middle‑school special education teacher.

Next steps: the district will post the draft plan for 30 days of public comment, make any necessary minor edits based on feedback, return the plan to the full board on April 8 for approval and submit the approved plan to the Pennsylvania Department of Education by May 1. The district will also follow the cyclic monitoring/audit process for corrective actions identified outside this plan.