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Center-based special-education staff urge district for targeted materials, training and staffing
Summary
A teacher at LaVoy Exceptional Center asked the board to recognize that center-based special education schools need tailored curricular materials, more staff and specialized training.
Erin Michaelson, speaking on behalf of a newly formed subcommittee of center-based staff, told the board on April 8 that employees who work in ESE center schools need targeted curriculum materials, more comprehensive training and additional staffing to safely de-escalate behaviors.
Michaelson, who identified herself as a teacher at LaVoy Exceptional Center, said staff frequently adapt or recreate materials to make curricula accessible to students with specialized needs and that many district workshops are not designed for the center population’s broad instructional and behavioral requirements.
Why it matters: Center-based programs serve students with intensive needs; understaffing or a lack of appropriately adapted curriculum can affect students’ access to instruction and staff safety. The employee group asked the district’s ESE office to treat center-based staff needs as distinct from general school professional development and to budget for specialized materials and training.
The board did not take an immediate vote but the speaker said the group hopes the district will respond with improved access to resources and a scheduled review of center-specific professional development.
