Board reviews annual alternative‑placements list and adopts revised instructional‑materials policy language for alignment with equity work

The North Clackamas School District Board of Directors reviewed the district's annual list of alternative placements and discussed a revision to the district's instructional materials policy at its June 5 meeting.

Assistant Superintendent of Education Yvonne Dibley said the annual alternative placements item (policy IGBHA) is presented each year for board discussion and approval of programs the district uses to serve students whose needs are not met in traditional settings. "These alternative programs are not free of charge," Dibley said, noting there may be increased budget costs when students require non‑district placements for special education, disciplinary reasons or credit recovery. She named Dr. Aylin Summers and Luke Scarpino as staff who conduct program evaluations and said additional evaluations are planned for next year.

Director questions centered on program availability. When asked whether the number of choices had decreased, Dibley said the formal list had not changed, but she described a pinch point for students with very high special education needs because fewer external programs exist to provide intensive services. She said Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams match students to programs that can meet their needs.

On instructional materials, Dibley described the work group that revised policy IIA to align sample policy language and administrative regulation with North Clackamas SD equity policy. The work group included district and ESD staff, representatives from the State Library of Oregon and an Intellectual Freedom Committee. The revised language clarifies selection processes for adopted versus non‑adopted materials and differentiates classroom and library material procedures. "What you see in front of you then is the deleted policy with the new policy," Dibley told the board, adding that the administrative regulation addresses process details.

Board members thanked staff and committee members for the work. Director Bauer thanked committee members and staff for meeting regularly to complete the revision. No formal amendments to policy language were recorded at the meeting; the presentation was described as a technical revision to align language and administrative regulations with current state guidance and the district's equity policy.

The alternative placements list and the instructional materials policy language were presented for board review; the meeting record shows discussion but does not show a separate recorded vote on the policy replacement at the June 5 meeting.