Board renews therapy contracts, adds virtual speech-language services amid staffing shortages

The St. Joseph School District Board approved renewal of the district’s contract for physical, occupational and speech-language therapy services and later approved an amendment to expand virtual speech-language services to address staffing gaps.

Administrators said the district maintains an approved vendor list to ensure special-education students receive services required by their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and that recruiting enough licensed therapists remains difficult. The contract renewal for on-site therapy services was described as the district’s best option to meet student needs; the board approved the renewal by roll-call vote, 7–0.

The board then voted to amend an existing Huddle Up virtual speech-language therapy contract after administrators reported the district had lost several SLPs/SLPAs to family moves. Staff said the amendment would add two virtual therapists to ensure services are available when school starts. The presenter noted the minimum fee on the amended contract is $244,091.71. Board members and staff noted that if the district could not provide required services, it would need to provide compensatory services or seek alternative arrangements; administrators said virtual services reduce that risk.

Both motions were approved by recorded roll-call votes of 7–0.

Ending: The board approved both the annual on-site therapy contract renewal and the virtual speech-language amendment; administrators said they will continue recruiting specialists while relying on contracted services to meet students’ IEPs.