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Bethel Park reports rising special-education evaluations, expands staff training and grants
Summary
Student support services reported increased evaluations and autism diagnoses, participation in multiple state grants and local inclusion programs including Best Buddies and Special Olympics.
Bethel Park School District officials told the board the district has stepped up special-education evaluations, expanded staff training and participated in multiple grant programs as student needs increase.
Student support services reported 149 permissions for full multidisciplinary evaluations since the start of the school year and said staff have completed “over 100” evaluations so far. The office reported an increase in the district’s autism (ASD) population of 16 percent between December 2023 and December 2024 and said roughly 19 percent of district students are served under an individual education plan (IEP). Staff also reported about 6 percent of students supported under a 504 plan and roughly 4 percent with a gifted IEP (GIEP).
The district described three grant-supported initiatives: an Accelerated Program for Special Education Teachers that funds master’s study at Slippery Rock University for district employees; a partnership with Carlow College to offer a high-school-level course called CHS Foundations in Special Ed to introduce students to special-education careers; and a $20,000 stipend-funded out-of-state internship for a school psychologist, which the district said funded an intern (named in the presentation) who supported testing and observations.
Staff highlighted several local inclusion programs and outcomes: 125 active participants in Best Buddies groups, collaborative events with the Interact Club, a bocce team that reached regional playoffs, and $14,000 raised for Special Olympics. The district also detailed professional development and parent-engagement activities, including training developed with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit and parent nights on transition and vocational resources.
Administrators asked the board to note that caseloads and service demands are rising. The presentation emphasized training and pipeline programs intended to grow local special-education capacity, including a program that sends teacher candidates through graduate study and a Carlow College dual-credit offering for high school students interested in special-education careers.
