Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Special-education enrollment rises to 16.22% of district; speech-language services exceed state average
Summary
District staff reported an increase in special-education enrollment, with 1,795 resident students receiving services as of Dec. 1, 2024, and flagged disproportionately high speech-language placements compared with state averages.
The Moorhead Area Public Schools Board of Education received an informational update Feb. 10 on the district’s special-education child count, which showed growth across the early-intervention and preschool population and a higher-than-average share of students receiving speech-language services.
Duane (staff member) presented the child-count slides and told the board that 1,795 students who are residents of the district were receiving special-education services as of Dec. 1, 2024; the district was serving 1,797 students regardless of residence at that same snapshot date. “1,795 students who are residents of the Moorhead District were receiving special education service somewhere at the end on 12/01/2024,” Duane said.
The presentation put the district’s overall special-education rate at 16.22 percent K–12, compared with a state average of 15.22 percent. “This year, we're at 16.22 percent. State average is 15.22 percent,” Duane noted. He said that speech-language and specific learning disabilities are the largest categories; speech-language service rates in the district are “double the state average,” a difference the district said it will investigate further.
Duane and board members discussed possible reasons for the higher speech-language numbers, including the district’s Spanish-immersion program — “we serve a really high percentage in Spanish immersion because the sounds are different,” Duane said — and greater awareness and referral practices by local providers. He also urged teams to keep educational impact at the center of eligibility decisions: teams must determine both whether a student meets state numerical criteria and whether a communication difference is educationally impactful.
Board members asked for additional detail by building and by disability category. Laura Lee specifically requested “a breakdown of what special education services they are receiving by building and how that changes throughout the year,” and Duane said the district maintains that data and can provide it.
The report included historical trends showing growth concentrated in early-intervention developmental-delay categories and modest year-to-year increases in district-wide special-education counts. No formal board action was required; the item was presented for information and follow-up data was requested.
