Osceola schools outline ESE hub plan and expanded inclusion; parents warn of transportation and service risks

Osceola County School District leaders presented a detailed update on proposed changes to the district’s Exceptional Student Education (ESE) services on April 8, saying the plan aims to increase inclusive placements while concentrating specialized staff and ancillary services in regional “hub” sites. Superintendent Doctor Shanoff and ESE director Hillary DeLuca described the briefing as an update, not a final policy, and emphasized continued outreach to families and staff.

The presentation matters because the district serves thousands of students with disabilities, and the reorganization would change where and how many of those students receive specialized instruction. District officials said the changes are intended to deliver higher‑quality, concentrated supports where staffing has been thin, but parents, teachers and advocates warned at length that longer bus rides, reduced local services and rushed timelines could harm students who depend on routine and on staff familiar with their needs.

Doctor Shanoff opened the item by acknowledging the difficulty of the work and the district’s communication shortcomings. “Change is infinitely more challenging for families with students with special needs,” he said, and added that the district would continue one‑on‑one meetings and follow‑up. Deputy Superintendent Doctor Clayton and Director Hillary DeLuca then reviewed the analysis, the advisory process and next steps.

District staff summarized the outside review and data that informed the update: an external audit by Education Resource Strategies used 2023–24 program enrollment and found roughly 7,500 students identified in ESE programs district‑wide. Staff said about 62% of those students were served in fully inclusive models and about 38% in some form of separate class setting; one category—students in separate self‑contained classes expected to meet general‑education standards—was about 9.3% of enrollment (roughly 700 students), according to the presentation. Staff said the review produced a fact base used to plan concentrated services and identify hub sites in four geographic regions.

DeLuca described two central changes that district leaders are advancing: strengthening “best self‑contained classrooms” (for students expected to meet general‑education standards) with added supports and establishing separate‑class hubs to concentrate specialized teachers, paraprofessionals and ancillary services (occupational therapy, physical therapy, behavior technicians). She said hubs already were added in response to parent feedback at Saint Cloud Elementary School and Saint Cloud Middle School. “We have been able to meet parents’ choice options when available and have honored those, when feasible,” DeLuca said, adding that staff have held school leadership meetings and inclusive scheduling processes at individual schools to plan services.

Officials stressed that the effort is guided by state expectations and federal law. DeLuca said the district is following guidance from the Florida Department of Education and conducting school‑by‑school assessments; she cited the VPIE assessment and said the Bureau for Exceptional Education and Student Services is a resource. The presentation also noted the district has run multiple advisory processes since March 2023—board‑appointed committees and district‑level teacher and administrator committees that met monthly—as well as parent halls, staff Q&A sessions and individual family meetings.

District staff provided counts of outreach: approximately 45 ESE‑related phone calls and roughly 10 in‑person family meetings so far, plus multiple staff Q&A events and a new professional‑learning catalog for the summer and the coming year. DeLuca said a public FAQ will be posted to the district website and that implementation planning is continuing, with the district aiming to have locations, staffing and training in place for the fall start of school. She framed the April 8 presentation as clarifying myths and facts and said no final placement decisions were being voted on at the meeting.

Public comment that followed was extensive. Dozens of parents, teachers and advocates described individual concerns about the timing of changes, lengthy bus rides, the risk of students losing trusted teachers or being placed in settings where their needs would not be fully met, and the legal obligation to provide services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Parent Sarah Chumley said the plan would “change the lives of our children, our most vulnerable children starting this August,” and described her nonverbal son’s reliance on a nearby team and routine. Debbie Zook, an ESE teacher of more than three decades, praised the district’s increased attention but urged that hubs be “fluid” so students can move through the continuum without being defined by a site.

Parents gave multiple examples of travel time estimates and household impacts. One parent said a one‑way drive to an assigned hub could be 48–56 minutes under GPS estimates and said driving a child instead of using district transportation could cost several thousand dollars a year in mileage or childcare; another parent said an assigned hub could be 26 minutes by GPS but an hour‑plus on local roads. Several speakers also raised staffing concerns and asked how the district would ensure trained, consistent personnel on buses and at new hub locations.

Officials responded to myths raised during public comment. DeLuca said the district is not copying Orange County verbatim but instead is using Florida Department of Education model structures and lessons from neighboring districts (Seminole, Pasco) while adapting to local conditions. DeLuca and Clayton emphasized the district’s legal obligation to follow IEPs and that hubs are intended to increase concentrated services rather than to remove services. Clayton said the changes are intended to increase the “least restrictive environment” opportunities by funding push‑in supports and by ensuring students receive IEP services, either in general education with supports or in specialized settings where warranted.

Board members acknowledged parent concerns and repeatedly invited families who still have questions to schedule one‑on‑one meetings with district staff. Superintendent Shanoff said he accepts responsibility for earlier communication lapses and reiterated that individual conversations have frequently resolved family issues: “The results of the calls and the meetings are most have been resolved via the phone call because they’ve been able to determine what is related to their individual situation and get those questions answered,” DeLuca said.

No formal board action to adopt policy was taken at the April 8 meeting. Instead, district staff framed the presentation as an update and a continuation of previous advisory work; staff said they would continue regional advisory meetings, school‑level planning, professional learning and family outreach. Parents and advocates urged the board to slow the timetable, require clearer public documentation, preserve neighborhood placements when appropriate and provide guarantees about transportation, staffing qualifications, and compliance with IDEA.

What’s next: district leaders said they will continue monthly regional advisory meetings, expand the FAQ materials online, provide summer professional learning, and hold inclusive‑scheduling sessions at every school. Parents who requested one‑on‑one meetings were encouraged to set appointments; several board members and staff reiterated they would attend meetings with families on request.