North Shore School District 112 is organizing a task force to study how it can better serve students with special needs, and with less bureaucracy.
The school board’s Inclusion Advisory Committee has been meeting for the past five years to promote including students with special needs in regular classrooms. The task force will expand that committee to include other people, such as teachers and parents.
One alternative to traditional models is a Flexible Service Delivery. This statewide pilot program eliminates many regulations and much of the paperwork. The plan allows teachers to more quickly access resources, such as special coursework or an assistant.
Such early intervention is critical, officials said during a District 112 meeting last week.
“Special education is a field that has become very heavy in procedures. That is not necessarily a good thing,” said Seth Harkins, committee co-chairman. “We need to make the process more accessible and easier to understand for parents, staff and students.”
In May, staff and faculty at the 11 district schools were surveyed about the special-education process. Of the 159 surveys completed, nearly 80 percent of respondents said children with special needs receive the services they require. A significant problem, however, was the amount of paperwork required from special educators, supervisors and administrators.
“The task force would look at all the different programs available before recommending one to the school board,” said Bonnie Mervis, committee co-chairman of the advisory committee. “They would see what’s tailor made for this district, and maybe even tailor that plan to suit each school building.”
Officials said the task force will become active in November.
