Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves contracts for school‑based physical and speech services to meet IDEA obligations
Summary
The board approved contracts to provide physical therapy (Select Savvy) and speech services (Taylor Speech Therapy) after the district could not fill permanent licensed PT and speech positions; services will be delivered via a mix of virtual and in‑person hours and billed to special education funding streams including IDEA.
The Danville CCSD 118 Board of Education approved contracts to secure school‑based physical therapy and speech‑language services to meet the district’s special education obligations under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Assistant Director of Special Education Lindsay Nixon recommended continuing a contract with Select Savvy for a licensed physical therapist to deliver approximately 15 hours per week at $89 per hour. Nixon said the district had posted the physical therapist position extensively but could not attract an in‑district licensed candidate; the contracted therapist will provide evaluations, write IEPs and supervise the district’s on‑site physical therapist assistant via virtual services.
The board also approved continuing a contract with Taylor Speech Therapy for approximately 20 hours per week at $100 per hour. Nixon described the Taylor arrangement as a hybrid model: virtual attendance at some meetings and paperwork, combined with in‑person services as needed. Nixon and other staff explained the district’s caseload obligations: speech‑language pathologists may have caseloads up to 60 students per state rules, and the district serves preschool through high school placements, including services for non‑district students under child‑find obligations.
Why it matters: the district must provide legally required evaluations and services for students with qualifying needs. Nixon said approximately 10–12 students currently receive school‑based physical‑therapy services and that contracting is necessary given persistent statewide staffing shortages in licensed therapists.
Board action: both contracts were approved by roll call vote, 6–0. Administration said the speech contract will be paid from federal IDEA funding and that the PT contract was reduced to 15 hours per week from 20 hours last year.
Implementation: the contracted physical therapist will write IEP goals, authorize minutes and supervise the in‑district PTA; the speech provider will continue a hybrid model of virtual and in‑person services. The administration and board noted continued recruiting efforts for in‑house licensed therapists.
