Special education director reports early childhood CDS transition underway; 24 four‑year‑olds with IEPs in district caseload

Justin Kelleherst, the district special education director, briefed the board on the Community Developmental Services (CDS) transition and early‑childhood special education onboarding.

Kelleherst said the district hired Jess Fritz as an early childhood special education coordinator and teacher and that Fritz has begun family outreach, IEP reviews, service establishment and coordination with state Department of Education cohorts. "She\'s been connecting with families, registering students, establishing services for students based on their IEPs," he said.

Kelleherst reported the district is currently working with 24 four‑year‑olds who have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or referrals. Of those, nine students "qualified as speech only" and 13 were "receiving speech services." He said four children were currently receiving specially designed instruction in pre‑K and seven students remain in placements that were set up prior to the district assuming transition responsibilities. Kelleherst said there are four children in Child Find and noted some details (a final item in the transcript) were still being clarified.

Board members asked about capacity and follow‑up; Kelleherst said numbers could change as staff observe students in current placements and determine whether additional district‑based services are appropriate. He said he would provide updated performance and enrollment figures in a future meeting when preparing a Title I performance report.

Ending: Kelleherst closed by offering to return with more precise counts and expense data tied to summer programs and stated his team is coordinating with the DOE for a smooth transition.