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District to open in‑district behavioral disabilities program at Salt Brook for elementary students
Summary
Office of Special Services described a new intensive behavioral disabilities program to begin this fall at Salt Brook School, developed with consultation from Newmark; staffing, classroom structure, and selection criteria were presented to the board.
The New Providence School District described a new in‑district behavioral disabilities program to open this fall at Salt Brook School, designed to support elementary students eligible for special education who have substantial emotional‑regulation or behavioral needs. The Office of Special Services presented program design details and a consultation arrangement with Newmark, a state‑approved private school for students with disabilities.
The program is intended for kindergarten through fourth grade students who require a specially designed environment. Dr. Harvey, presenting for the Office of Special Services, said the program will “create an immersive environment” staffed by one teacher and one aide, with individualized behavior plans, frequent progress monitoring (approximately every half hour during the school day), explicit social‑decision‑making instruction, a token economy tied to a classroom store, and an intervention room across the hall for de‑escalation and reflection.
Dr. Harvey said the district has observed an increase in young students demonstrating significant regulation needs and that placing those students out of district can be disruptive and costly; an in‑district program allows students smoother transitions back to mainstream classrooms when ready. The district plans multi‑day summer training for staff and ongoing consultation and onsite support from Newmark, which will assist with classroom design, curricular supports and behavior‑management practices.
The presenter emphasized that the program is a special‑education placement requiring an individualized education program (IEP) team decision. Dr. Harvey said an IEP team — including child study team members, parents, teachers, related service staff and behavior specialists — will make placement, entry and exit decisions based on individual student needs.
Board members asked about plans to expand beyond a single site. In response, Dr. Harvey and administration said the program will be housed at Salt Brook initially because suitable space is available there; additional sites would be considered only if referrals and need require expansion.
District leadership also announced staffing decisions related to the program later in the meeting: a teacher for the behavioral development classroom, Kelly Hawkins, was introduced at the personnel portion of the agenda and appears on the personnel appointment list approved by the board during the meeting.
No formal board vote to create the program was recorded in this meeting; the presentation outlined program design, training and partnership plans and the district described next steps for staffing and implementation.
