Richfield reports rise in special-education student count; board questions screening and referral practices

Jennifer Krueger, Richfield Public Schools director of special education, told the School Board on March 17 that the district's unduplicated special-education child count is 832 resident students.

Krueger said that figure represents an increase of 54 resident students compared with last year and that there are 753 students currently receiving special-education services inside the district. She described patterns in the data: higher percentages of identification among students who are Black, multiracial and American Indian, and continued above-average rates in autism spectrum and early childhood special-education categories compared with statewide averages.

The presentation and ensuing board discussion focused on what the district calls the pre-referral process, how interventions are documented and when a full special-education evaluation is started. Krueger said teams require at least two pre-referral interventions and that the district has emphasized data-based decision-making and tools such as FastBridge for progress monitoring. "Students need to participate in at least 2 pre referral interventions," Krueger said, and teams "would only go into a special education evaluation if the general ed supports were not effective." She added the district completes measures in other languages using interpreters and, when available, staff who can test academically in Spanish.

Board members asked for specifics on thresholds and referral patterns. One director asked whether the district reaches out to families when a child is not reading by third grade; Krueger said conferences and stat-team (student assistance team) conversations are used to engage families and that families may request evaluations but teams generally work to try interventions first. On tracking referral patterns, Krueger said each building has a special-education lead and school psychologist who review data for patterns by classroom, grade or teacher and determine whether additional training or reteaching is needed.

Krueger highlighted program-level changes and capacity planning: the district saw a roughly 7% increase in the unduplicated child count and a 3% increase in students receiving services inside the district. She reported growth in students requiring center-based programming (students receiving the majority of the day in specialized settings), particularly for developmental cognitive disabilities and autism spectrum disorder, noting many of those students come through early-learning programs and are likely to remain in more intensive programming as they progress through school.

Board members pressed Krueger on equity concerns and whether teachers hesitate to refer some students while quickly referring others. Krueger said the district is training teams on the referral process, emphasizing data collection and intervention before evaluation, and uses FastBridge and monthly lead meetings to support consistent practices.

Krueger described current special-education department focus areas, including literacy training for 48 special-education teachers and leads, expanded use of FastBridge for progress monitoring and monthly data dialogues to support general-education interventions so students can remain in the least restrictive environment when appropriate.

The board did not take formal action on the special-education presentation; the item was an informational update and Q&A.

Ending: Board members asked for follow-up reporting next year on whether the district's interventions and monitoring reduce disparity trends and whether referral-pattern analysis yields targeted training or system changes.