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Board briefed on special‑education policy submission, state review schedule and indicator concerns
Summary
Director of special education outlined new state requirements, an accelerated March 30 initial submission deadline, and ongoing work to address indicator disproportionality for specific learning disability identifications.
The Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Local Board of Education on Feb. 20 received an update from Bridgette Pritchard, the district’s director of special education, about newly required written policies and procedures for students with disabilities and an overview of performance indicators the state monitors.
Pritchard told the board Ohio districts must either adopt the state’s special education model policies or develop their own written policies that meet or exceed the Ohio operating standards. "If an educational agency decides to adopt the department's special education model policies and procedures, the educational agency agrees to the written policies and procedures in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004," Pritchard said.
Context and deadlines Pritchard said the district must make an initial submission to the Ohio Department of Education by March 30, 2025 for this new first-year schedule; moving forward, districts will submit policies annually by Nov. 30. She added the state will begin annual reviews of district special education policies and practices on Dec. 1, 2025.
Performance indicators and concerns Pritchard reported Bellbrook-Sugarcreek meets most performance indicators but remains "working on closing the gap" for indicators 9 and 10, which measure disproportionality in special education identification. "Specifically for us, it's for Black students identified under the category of specific learning disability," she said. Pritchard noted the district’s small pool of students magnifies statistical effects and that several records the state reviewed included students who transferred into the district with prior identifications.
She also explained indicator 14 — the post-school outcome survey — is new and will require outreach to families of students who left school during the 2022–23 school year to report post‑secondary outcomes.
What the board will decide Pritchard recommended the district adopt the Ohio operating standards as an initial, strategic move because the March 30 deadline is tight and the district already largely follows those standards. She said a future goal could be to develop additional district-specific policy elements that exceed the state model, but that would require a broader team and more time.
Ending: Pritchard asked the board for questions and signaled staff will prepare the formal policy submission and bring any proposed local policy changes to the board at a later meeting.
