Parents, providers press Dallastown Area SD board to boost special-education staffing and training

Elizabeth Jones, a parent and local business owner, told the Dallastown Area School Board on March 13 that her son — a student with autism — has experienced repeated safety incidents and that district responses focused on changing the child rather than addressing peers or supervision gaps. "Children with autism are particularly vulnerable in the school setting due to the invisible nature of their disability," Jones said, citing incidents in classrooms, hallways and locker rooms.

James Jones, who identified himself as Liz Jones’s husband, said families face inconsistent communication from the special-education office and that several parents he has contacted were unaware of staff departures. "Many families are unaware of key changes such as Jill Trimmer’s departure from the district. Emails often go unanswered and parents are left in the dark about their child's progress and available resources," he said.

Randy Frem, who said he is a business owner supporting students with special needs and a parent, echoed the Joneses’ concerns and urged the board to "prioritize the hiring and retaining of well trained special education professionals who can provide and support these students." He said he hears recurring themes from families: safety concerns, lack of neurodiversity-affirming practices and insufficient responsiveness to parents’ advocacy.

Heather Lair, president of the Dallastown Area Education Association (DAEA), framed staffing concerns as part of the board’s larger staffing proposal discussion. She told the board that the staffing recommendation increases administrative roles while not prioritizing classroom-facing positions. "Teachers are being asked to do more with less," Lair said, and she urged that paraprofessionals, intervention staff and counselors be given higher priority.

Speakers called for several specific changes: expanding supervision during unstructured times, training for staff on neurodiversity-affirming practices, clearer family communication when key special-education staff depart, and prioritizing hiring of qualified special-education personnel and paraprofessionals. Board president Nicholas Pantano acknowledged the remarks during the public-comment period and later referenced special-education staffing during deliberations on the administration’s staffing recommendation.

The comments came at the start of the board’s meeting, during the public-comment window. No formal action was taken during public comment; board members discussed related staffing requests later in the meeting.