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Springfield officials report steady rise in students with disabilities and expansion needs for LYNX and low-incidence programs
Summary
District officials presented data showing a sustained increase in students eligible for special education since 2013, including large growth in LYNX autism programming and declines in out-of-district placements; the committee heard plans for staff training and program expansion.
District special education leaders told the school committee March 27 that Springfield Public Schools has seen a steady rise in students with disabilities since 2013 and that the district must expand specialized programs and staff training to meet demand.
Doctor Marissa McCarthy presented decade-long enrollment trends and program breakdowns. She said overall enrollment of students with disabilities increased about 37 percent since 2013 to 1,755 students and that the district’s LYNX program for students with autism has grown from 54 students in 2013 to 698 in 2025. She said 1,535 students have an IEP with an autism eligibility and that about 54 percent of those students receive inclusive services while roughly 45 percent are in low-incidence programming.
The district reported that out-of-district placements have fallen to about 78 students, down from roughly 300 five years earlier, reflecting an effort to serve more students in-district. Officials described a continuum of programs (including LYNX, social-emotional/behavioral programs and life-skills settings) and said the rise in younger grades indicates continued demand that will shift into middle and high schools.
Committee members asked about teacher shortages and budget impacts. Doctor McCarthy said the district is expanding recruitment and professional development, offering classroom visits for prospective hires, using paraprofessional pipelines and deploying autism and behavior specialists to support teachers. She said district staff would provide budget and cost-impact data on request.
The presentation concluded with a request to continue building internal capacity, intensive teacher training, and strengthening parent engagement through the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (CPAC), which the district said is active again.
