Lake Washington School Board hears update on expanding inclusion for students with disabilities

The Lake Washington School Board on Jan. 13 received an update on the district's inclusionary practices for students who qualify for special education services, including demographic trends, district strategies for secondary schools and steps taken to expand student access to general education.

Dr. Holman, a Lake Washington School District administrator, opened the presentation by framing inclusion as a district value and linking it to board operational expectations on learning environments and family engagement. "Inclusion is really about every student, having a place in our schools, learning with their peers, participating fully, being seen for who they are," Dr. Holman said.

The presentation, delivered primarily by Dr. Shannon Hitch, described several data points the district is using to guide inclusion work. Dr. Hitch said special education enrollment has remained roughly stable at about 9.6% of students districtwide, but the proportion of students identified with more complex needs has risen. She told the board the district’s share of students identified in the autism category is roughly 27%, compared with about 13% statewide, and that a third of multilingual learners in the district who qualify for special education are identified under autism.

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