Osceola school district outlines plan to increase inclusion; parents and teachers raise safety and staffing concerns

The Osceola County School Board on Thursday heard a detailed presentation from the district’s Exceptional Student Education department about proposed changes for the 2025–26 school year intended to increase inclusive opportunities and reorganize some separate-class services into community-based "hubs."

The proposal, presented by ESE staff led by Hillary DeLuca, would add a blended prekindergarten program at every elementary and K–8 campus, emphasize general-education homeroom placements with pull-out services (40–79 percent of the day) for some students, and create consolidated separate-class hubs and updated ‘‘access’’ classroom categories (independent, supported, participatory). DeLuca said the work began with a board advisory committee in March 2023 and was shaped by an external audit and Department of Education data the district reviewed.

District officials said the goal is to reduce the percentage of students in self-contained settings and expand inclusion. "This work started in March of 2023," DeLuca said, and staff have been meeting with school teams and principals to identify barriers and training needs.…