The School District of Haverford Township presented findings from a districtwide audit of its emotional support program and proposed an action plan that includes new social-emotional curricula and procedural changes.

District staff said the Chester County Intermediate Unit audit (completed May 2024) praised the quality of evaluations and IEPs, found caseloads within state limits and noted use of functional behavior assessments and positive behavior support plans. Presenters said they addressed immediate documentation concerns and established an action committee to implement recommendations.

Why it matters: The emotional support program serves students with IEPs who demonstrate social, emotional or behavioral challenges; changes affect teachers, counselors and special-education delivery across all district buildings.

Key recommendations and staff responses included integrating Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) with Child Study Teams, standardizing procedures and training, improving consistency of evaluation reports, and identifying supplemental curriculum resources for social-emotional instruction. Presenters described classroom- and district-level steps taken to address missing signatures and data-consistency issues, including adoption of digital signing through PowerSchool Special Programs and convening school psychologists and behavior analysts to align reporting.

The audit asked the district to consider a supplemental self-contained emotional-support classroom (defined in the audit as special-education supports more than 20% but less than 80% of the school day). District staff said they "weigh the pros and cons of this type of classroom and came to the conclusion that it does not quite align with our district values," and recommended instead a supplemental model that keeps students in general education with additional supports when possible.

For curriculum, the emotional-support review team recommended Wayfinder for middle and high school and AIM plus WeThinkers for elementary students. Staff said Wayfinder was chosen for its structure, relevance to preteens and teens and progress monitoring; AIM addresses internalizing needs and WeThinkers targets kindergarten–grade 2 social rules and role-play activities. Presenters said AIM and WeThinkers are one-time book purchases while Wayfinder is an annual subscription; the combined cost of the three resources is "approximately $7,000," and staff said they would seek Board approval at the June meeting and plan implementation in 2025–26 with professional development for staff.

Board members asked whether the emotional-support program is limited to students with IEPs; presenters said the district program described is a special-education program but that some non-IEP supports exist at secondary levels. Board members also asked about trauma-informed components; presenters said some lessons address post-traumatic-stress-type topics but that individual counseling through Lakeside counselors is the primary trauma-informed intervention. Staff committed to reporting back with additional details on trauma-informed content and accessibility.

No formal Board vote occurred at the committee meeting; staff will request approval to purchase recommended materials at the June Board meeting.