Charles County schools unveil near-final special education strategic plan, stressing behavior supports and talent retention

Charles County Public Schools presented a near-final strategic plan for special education to the Board of Education on May 13, outlining program changes, new staffing and training priorities and steps to address suspension disproportionality and case manager workload.

The presentation, led by Larry Johnson, director of special education services, summarized four strategic priorities: student learning and achievement, access and equity, safety and culture/climate, and talent development and retention. "This plan is going well, today is gonna give you the highlights of that strategic plan," Johnson said as he described the document as nearly finalized and subject to further stakeholder input.

Why it matters: Johnson and other staff said the plan responds to rising behavior-related incidents, large caseloads for school psychologists, and uneven programmatic guidance across schools. The district cited National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) guidance and Maryland data showing local school psychologists serving many times the recommended caseload.

Key measures and program changes - Instruction and MTSS: The plan calls for clearer MTSS structures, routines for progress monitoring and districtwide professional development in specially designed instruction, universal design for learning and differentiated instruction. Johnson said the district will publish programmatic handbooks for special education classrooms by August to give teachers and administrators “look‑fors” and rubrics tied to the Charlotte Danielson framework. - SOAR rostering and grade bands: The district plans to regionalize SOAR elementary classrooms and reduce multi‑grade classrooms by rostering learners into K‑2 and 3‑5 grade bands so teachers can specialize and students can ‘loop’ with a teacher. Johnson said the transportation office has assessed bus routes and that added SOAR classrooms have reduced teacher‑student ratios in recent staffing cycles. - Early childhood and non‑diploma endorsements: The plan proposes a continuum of services for three‑ and four‑year‑old special education students, including half‑day options for some 3‑year‑olds where full‑day proved too disruptive. The district will also pursue new transcript endorsements for non‑diploma tracks to strengthen pathways to post‑secondary inclusive options. - Safety and elopement: In response to HB1204 and concerns raised at a recent safety town hall, the district convened a work team on elopement safety. Johnson said the team will standardize incident reporting, schoolwide safety plans, IEP behavior plans and “templates within what schools are already used to.” He said physical options — alarming, fencing and perimeter reviews — are part of the work. - Suspension disproportionality: Johnson said state data (reported two years behind) showed a risk ratio that indicated greater likelihood of long suspensions for students with disabilities. The district is not currently identified for federal CCEIS diversion funds but has formed a suspension disproportionality committee and is preparing guidance for schools on root causes and alternatives to long suspensions. - Talent development and case manager workload: The plan will prioritize onboarding resources (the "Gold Book" IEP tool for new teachers), a committee on case manager workload and additional PD. Johnson said a case manager committee had attracted 20 teachers and will propose efficiency measures; one example under consideration is limiting automatic academic assessments when reliable academic records exist.

What board members and parents asked Board members and parent representatives asked about: student transitions (secondary to adulthood and between school levels), how parents will be trained to navigate transition planning and post‑secondary agency linkages, supports for bus drivers and other non‑teacher staff, and how the district will measure outcomes for preK 3 options. Johnson and other staff pointed repeatedly to plans for robust family engagement and to upcoming public comment sessions.

Where it goes next Johnson said the plan still requires final stakeholder input and will be presented in final form to the board in the near future for adoption and implementation planning. "Next steps, we are finalizing the plan," Johnson said. The district will publish a full draft for public input and provide updates during regular board meetings.

Ending note Staff framed the document as an operational roadmap — not a single program change — that ties to Maryland priorities and the district’s overall strategic plan. Board members praised the outreach and urged emphasis on implementation timelines, measurable outcomes and supports that address workload and retention for special education staff.