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Mill Creek reports rise in students receiving special education services, opens life-skills program and adds transition coordinator
Summary
Student services staff told the board that special education enrollment rose by 42 students from last year, new life-skills programming and Mill House re-opening will support students 20–22, and a transition coordinator was hired to help students move from school to postsecondary supports.
Student services staff reported substantial midyear changes and program expansions at the Feb. 10 Mill Creek Township School District meeting, including a rise in students served by special education, a new life-skills program at Asbury Elementary, reopening of the Mill House independent-living program for ages 20–22, and the hiring of a transition coordinator to assist families with postsecondary supports.
Mary Triana, presenting the student services update, said the district’s Dec. 1 child count showed 1,315 students receiving special education services — up 42 from the previous year and about 20% of district enrollment. “This increase has led to additional programs and services across the district,” Triana said, noting the district opened a life-skills classroom for youngest learners and expanded employment pathways for older students.
Triana described Project SEARCH, a partnership with UPMC Hamot that connects young adults with disabilities to competitive employment; the district has seven students currently enrolled in Project SEARCH and reported 61 job offers since the program began in 2017–18. Staff also described additional on-campus vocational opportunities, including custodial and groundskeeping tasks for older students.
The district has hired Samantha Keyes as a transition coordinator to support families and students with referrals to Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR), college accommodations and other community resources; Triana said Keyes would lead transition planning for students moving between grade bands and beyond high school. Student services staff also reported outreach plans to bring community service agencies into elementary events (art fairs, multicultural nights) to increase family awareness of supports.
Other student services notes: the district obtained more than $11,000 in grant funding to supply period products at no cost to students; staff are planning a summer vaccination clinic for students; enrollment and portal usage continue to grow (the district reported nearly 900 registrations for 2024–25 and more than 200 uses of an onsite kiosk for family enrollment); and the attendance team has been handling increased workload due to weather-related disruptions.
The presentation included updates on gifted programming, Trojan Cyber Academy participation of over 200 students, and new supports for multilingual learners; the committee did not take final action on these informational items but requested ongoing reporting.
