Special education director outlines inclusion gains, therapeutic‑learning pilots and fewer legal settlements

Heather Morgan, director of special education, briefed the San Mateo‑Foster City School Board on Sept. 19 on program expansions, staffing and compliance gains.

Morgan said the district currently serves about 1,305 students eligible for IEPs (roughly 12.6% of enrollment) and outlined staffing: 29 RSP teachers, 18 mild–moderate SDC teachers, seven moderate–severe SDC teachers and two therapeutic program teachers, supported by psychologists, speech and language pathologists and other related‑service professionals. She described a behavior‑support pyramid now led by six board‑certified behavior analysts and a tiered set of registered behavior technicians and paraeducator classifications.

The district is in year two of two therapeutic learning centers (TLCs), with five elementary students at Brewer Island and eight at Bowditch Middle School; Morgan described staffing and structural adjustments from the pilot year so those programs function more as site‑based classrooms integrated with campus teams. She said inclusion work, supported in part by a CDE SIP grant, has helped the district exceed the state's 2023–24 target for the percentage of students with IEPs spending 80% or more of their day in general education (district: 67% vs. 64% target).

Morgan reported a roughly 50% reduction in legal settlements and related expenditures since 2021–22, attributing the improvement to strengthened compliance, better use of pre‑assessment interventions, and tighter case documentation. She said 30 students currently attend nonpublic schools and the district continues efforts to reduce reliance on contracted agency staff by recruiting district employees for paraeducator and related positions to improve consistency.

Trustees asked about TLC rollout adjustments, proctoring of inclusion in gen‑ed classrooms, communication to families, and data collection; staff described listening sessions, surveys, reinstated special education leadership teams and CDAC meetings with Spanish translation and recordings.

Morgan closed noting ongoing efforts to refine dual rostering, ADA‑compliance considerations for classroom placement and plans to propose additional inclusion focus schools for 2025–26.