McKeesport Area SD highlights trauma supports and new curricula for 2025–26 school year

District staff told the McKeesport Area SD board on Sept. 11 that the district has placed new supports and curricula in classrooms for the 2025–26 school year, including a contracted trauma-based intervention specialist, language-arts and math curriculum adoptions and a three-year TechTown agreement aimed at students with life-skill needs.

"The district is contracted with Devereaux Advanced Behavior Health, allowing the placement of a certified trauma based intervention specialist in both of our elementary schools," said Mr. McFadden (staff member), describing a staff position intended to give elementary students daily access to a trained counselor. "These components will allow the elementary students the opportunity to connect their thoughts each morning, every afternoon, throughout the school day, letting them know that we care."

Mr. McFadden also summarized new curriculum purchases: language-arts materials from Midland and Harcourt for grades 6–12 and mathematics curriculum through Renaissance Math for grades 8–11. He said both programs include screening tools to help teachers identify students’ actual functioning levels and built-in professional-development components for staff.

"Both of these programs...are skill based to promote standards with practice components designed to prepare our students for success on PSSA and Keystone," Mr. McFadden said. He added that the materials include teacher training to support classroom implementation.

For students identified with life-skill disabilities and autism, the district entered a three-year agreement with TechTown curriculum, described by Mr. McFadden as "specifically designed for those students" who may require additional instructional components.

Board members and administrators emphasized that the purchases were chosen after vetting and that the district’s building- and district-level administrators were instrumental in evaluating options. In committee reports and the subsequent consent vote the purchases were included among the curriculum and special-education items approved by the board.

The district also discussed use of screening assessments (noted in the meeting as "curriculum screeners") that staff will use to place students academically and to tailor instruction. No dollar amounts were specified in the meeting for the curriculum contracts; funding was handled through the board’s routine procurement and budget process.

The purchases and the trauma specialist position went forward as informational items in committee and were included in the consent approvals recorded by roll call during the public meeting.