Norfolk Public Schools highlights AAC rollout: 'Every Panther Has a Voice'

At a Norfolk Public Schools Board of Education meeting, district staff presented a multi-site pilot to standardize augmentative and alternative communication, or AAC, tools for preschool and elementary students.

The presentation, led by Melissa (district staff member), described a system the district calls the NPS core board and packaging of that core across devices and laminated sheets so students can move from low-tech core boards to iPad-based systems with the same layout. "This is entitled Every Panther Has a Voice," Melissa said as she introduced the project and credited Abby Coffin, a special education teacher at Bellaire, and other speech-language pathologists and technicians for designing the materials.

District staff described core vocabulary (pronouns, verbs, WH questions and the like) as the foundation for communication and fringe vocabulary as the individualized words added later. The presenters said boards are color-coded and available in adapted layouts for students with fine motor or visual needs, and that a device implementation keeps the same core layout so children can transition more easily between paper and digital systems.

Melissa said the pilot began at Bel Air and Little Panthers Preschool because of concentrations of students using AAC; she told the board that "right now we have about 22 students that are using some form of AAC," including picture boards, recordable buttons, sign language and device programs such as Proloquo and TD Snap. The presentation included short classroom videos showing preschool and elementary students using devices to request items, join phonics lessons and build sentence stems.

Staff emphasized that AAC is a supportive modality, not a replacement for attempts at speech. "The biggest thing we reassure parents is it does not delay communication. It is a supportive tool for communication," Melissa said. Presenters also noted partners who supported the rollout, including Mr. Dreher and middle-school students who 3D-printed manipulatives used with AAC learners.

Board members asked about rollout and staffing. Melissa said speech-language pathologists typically introduce the core boards during direct services, then classroom teachers and paraprofessionals incorporate the boards into daily routines. She said the device often travels with the student and staff members to preserve continuity of communication.

The presenters described next steps: finalizing a district-wide standardized set of core words before printing large environmental boards (playground, nurse's office), creating Spanish/adapted versions, and continuing to train staff on newer software such as TD Snap. They said the pilot has already led to measurable classroom participation and reductions in challenging behavior when students have reliable communication options.

The presentation closed after brief board questions; no formal action was taken.