D303 board approves relocation of 'access' elementary classrooms from Anderson to Coron amid parental objections

The St. Charles CUSD 303 Board of Education voted 5–1 on April 14 to relocate two elementary-level "access" classrooms currently at Anderson Elementary to Coron Elementary beginning in the 2025–26 school year, amid extended public comment from families and educators who urged the district to keep students at Anderson.

Board action and vote

The board motion, as read by the agenda, asked members to approve “the relocation of access classrooms currently located in Anderson Elementary to Coron Elementary beginning with the 2526 school year.” Board member Matthew Lentz moved the motion; Mr. McNally seconded. Roll-call votes recorded in the transcript show: Mrs. McCabe — yes; Mr. McNally — yes; Mrs. Bell — yes; Mr. Kuchert — yes; Mr. Lentz — yes; Mr. Lackner — no. The motion carried, 5–1.

Administrators— rationale

Superintendent Dr. Gordon and special-education leaders said Coron offers more and better-configured space for the access program’s instructional needs and allied services. Karen Pratt and district staff told the board that Coron has three contiguous classroom spaces suitable for access programming, dedicated occupational-therapy and sensory rooms separate from core classrooms, larger storage and confidential office areas for therapists, and a West-side location the district does not currently have.

To staff the move and expand services, the district proposes adding one speech-language pathology assistant and one paraprofessional to support the additional section planned at Coron. Pratt said the district would also continue STAR Autism Support professional learning — a workshop plus embedded coaching model the district already uses — in spring and over the summer to prepare staff, and offer multiple opportunities for families and staff to visit Coron before the fall. The district said it will use the remaining weeks of the school year and summer to plan visits, collaborative meetings, and embedded coaching so the transition is intentional rather than rushed.

Program structure and costs

District materials presented at the meeting say that, for the next school year, the access program would be distributed as follows: two sections at Munhall, two at Fox Ridge, and three at Coron (reflecting the two Anderson sections moving to Coron plus a kindergarten section being added to Coron). The district said it will hire one additional paraprofessional and one speech-language pathology assistant; details about salary costs and budget line items were not specified in the presentation.

Families— concerns and public comment

Parents and community advocates offered extended public comment before the board discussion. Colleen Backer, who identified herself as a parent and educator, said repeated moves have been disruptive: “This has been the third time that we were moved to Anderson ... 4 schools in 4 years,” she said, and added that many children in the access program have autism and that frequent moves disrupt routines that are often written into students’ individualized education programs (IEPs).

Mother Diana Gonzalez described an unrelated violent incident affecting her son at Thompson Middle School and urged the district to review policies on campus safety and parental notification; she said her son was diagnosed at the ER with a brain injury and other physical injuries after the incident and described ongoing trauma. Jody Zitko, a longtime resident, said she had witnessed visible trauma and panic in a student after the incident and urged stronger protections for students. Several speakers asked the board to reject relocating access classrooms to Coron and to prioritize minimizing transitions for students with developmental disabilities.

Administrators— response to community concerns

District leaders acknowledged that multiple moves have been difficult for families and said that lesson shaped the recommendation to identify Coron as a longer-term placement where the district could “stack bricks” of services and space in a single location. Pratt and Laurel (program staff) described a plan of individualized transition meetings, classroom visits, and professional learning this spring and summer. The presentation emphasized starting collaboration now so families and staff can plan for the fall rather than face a compressed timeline.

Implementation supports and follow-up

The district’s implementation plan includes:

- Spring meetings and school visits so students and families can become familiar with Coron before summer. - Professional learning using the STAR Autism Support model (one-day workshop followed by embedded coaching in classrooms) during the summer and into the school year for access staff and additional orientation for general-education and specials staff at Coron. - A needs-assessment process to identify individual student supports and a plan to coordinate case managers and families for individualized transition plans. - Success indicators and monitoring (district staff described plans for surveys and follow-up to monitor transition outcomes).

Board discussion and context

Board members acknowledged the difficulty of the decision and the district’s obligations to provide both program quality and stable placements. Several board members praised the Coron space and the district’s efforts to plan an intentional transition; at least one board member stated they opposed the relocation vote. Several board members urged the district to make the placement as long-term and stable as possible and to apply lessons learned from earlier, rushed moves.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve relocation of access classrooms from Anderson to Coron for 2025–26: moved by Matthew Lentz; seconded by Mr. McNally; outcome approved 5–1 (McNally/second; roll call: McCabe Y, McNally Y, Bell Y, Kuchert Y, Lentz Y, Lackner N). - Motion adopting resolution authorizing notice to selected non-licensed employees of honorable dismissals (agenda item prior to the access vote): moved and seconded; recorded outcome 6–0 (roll-call recorded as yeses); motion carried. (Motion text and roll-call appear in the meeting record.)

What the transcript does and does not show

The transcript records extensive public comment opposing the relocation and detailed administrative presentation and a roll-call vote approving the relocation 5–1. The transcript includes administrator commitments to staff professional learning and individualized transition planning; it does not include a detailed budget line item for the added positions nor independent verification of every public allegation made at the microphone (such as medical diagnoses mentioned by speakers), which are reported here as statements by those speakers.

Provenance: Public comment on the access program begins in the transcript with teachers and parents speaking (example excerpt: “I stand before you today to speak about something truly important and close to my heart, the access program at Anderson.”) and the board discussion, administration recommendation, and roll-call vote are recorded later in the meeting record (discussion and motion beginning at the item labeled “Discussion of the access program location” through the roll-call vote that recorded a 5–1 outcome).