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District to pilot transitional apartment for special-education students at Evergreen Commons
Summary
Keystone Central School District will use an apartment at Evergreen Commons (owned by the Lock Haven Foundation) during the school day as a hands-on transitional-living space for special education students to practice daily-living skills; the space will be used during the day and students will return home each night.
District staff described an agreement to use an apartment at Evergreen Commons (owned by the Lock Haven Foundation) as a day-site for students in the district’s special education transition program. The space is intended for supervised, real-world practice of daily-living and community-access skills.
Why it matters: Transition programming that gives older students practical experience in household tasks and community navigation can improve post-school independence. The arrangement uses an off-campus facility during school hours rather than overnight stays.
Program description and operational details - Purpose and scope: Staff said the apartment will provide a setting where students can practice cooking, cleaning, mail and package handling, shopping and other daily-living skills. The program is positioned as a complement to existing high-school instruction for students up to age 22 who are part of the district’s special education program. - Schedule and supervision: Staff said students will travel to the Evergreen Commons apartment on district vans during the school day and return home each night; no overnight stays were planned. The district expects to staff the apartment with a paraprofessional and a staff mentor (two adults on site); staff reported six students currently assigned to the program. - Cost and funding: Staff said the district will cover incidental program costs (shopping materials and supplies) from the special education budget and that there is no rental fee to use the Evergreen Commons apartment under the proposed agreement.
Board questions and response Board members asked whether occupational or other related therapists would be engaged in programming; staff said many students already receive occupational therapy during the school day and OT staff could join apartment sessions as needed. Board members praised the idea as an innovative step to increase student independence.
Ending: The board received the informational report; staff will finalize operational details and return with any necessary administrative approvals. No formal vote was recorded at the work session.
