Burke County Schools released a short video describing its Exceptional Children (EC) services, including classroom supports, related therapies and individualized education plans for students ages 3 to 21.

The video, produced by district staff, aims to explain “continuum of services” in North Carolina and to show how parents and schools work together on Individualized Education Programs. Jessie Gravel, director of Exceptional Children for Burke County Schools, said EC services can range from classroom accommodations to self-contained classrooms depending on student needs.

Why it matters: The video is designed to answer common questions from families about how EC services are delivered day to day and how parents can participate in IEP planning. It highlights classroom options intended to keep students in the least restrictive environment possible while providing related services such as speech therapy and occupational therapy.

Jessie Gravel, Director of Exceptional Children for Burke County Schools, described the district’s model: “The first and most common option is having your child stay in the regular kindergarten classroom with a few supports added in. We might give them extra time for assignments, sensory breaks, or some visual reminders.” Gravel said that, as needs increase, supports can include a special education teacher who co-teaches, short pulls to a resource room for focused work, or a self-contained classroom for a student who needs most of the day in a smaller setting.

The video explains related services and school-based supports. Gravel said speech therapy can address articulation, expressive skills and language comprehension, while occupational therapy helps students build skills such as holding a pencil, using scissors and regulating attention. The program uses the IEP team to determine appropriate supports and to update plans as students progress.

A parent who appears in the video described school steps that eased anxiety about kindergarten and supported her child’s transition. “It was absolutely weight lifted off her shoulders,” the parent said, recounting school tours, staff meetings and daily communication such as a short report or classroom messages that helped the family track the child’s day.

Drexel principal Leanna McKinney showed a classroom sensory space and said EC students join specials and activities with peers: “These are our kids, full of joy, energy, curiosity, and potential,” she said, adding that some schools are creating life-skills classrooms where students practice daily routines such as folding laundry or preparing simple meals.

The video includes a disclaimer that identifiable students shown are stock footage and that district video intentionally avoids showing faces to protect privacy.

The recording does not include a clear enrollment total in the EC program; Jessie Gravel gave an age range of 3 to 21 for EC services but the numeric enrollment figure in the video was unclear.