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Mount Olive board reviews special-education audit; district outlines training, paperwork and consistency measures
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Bangea presented the district's special-education audit, which found strong inclusion programs and compliance but recommended professional development, clearer eligibility statements and uniform templates for IEPs and 504 plans.
The Mount Olive Township School District Board of Education reviewed a special-education audit during its April meeting, with Superintendent Dr. Bangea presenting findings and next steps.
The audit, completed earlier in the school year, evaluated special-education organization, programming and procedures across the district, including related intervention services and 504 plans. "The audit provided some really great insight into both our strengths and areas of growth," Dr. Bangea said during the meeting.
Nut graf: The report found the district's inclusion programs and many procedural elements above average but recommended targeted professional development and improved documentation to ensure consistent practices as enrollment grows. District leaders said the measures are intended to align practices across buildings and grade levels.
According to the presentation, the district has about 4,800 students. Of those, 977 are eligible for an individualized education program (IEP), roughly 20 percent of students, and about 229 students have 504 plans, about 4.7 percent. The audit team highlighted the district's relatively high inclusion rates and substantial compliance with legal requirements involving parent and student involvement, program modifications and progress monitoring.
Dr. Bangea summarized specific recommendations: enhanced professional development on present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (PLAAFP), more detailed eligibility statements, clarified roles for instructional aides, review and refinement of Extended School Year (ESY) programming, improved IEP documentation, development of CST templates to align expectations, and creation of resource folders and manuals for staff. The superintendent said district leaders have begun developing PD modules, templates for CST teams and support plans such as "aid fade-away" documents and transition planning tools.
Board members praised the district's approach to using audits to support budget and staffing requests. One board member remarked that the audit helps the board when committees later request additional staff or professional-development funding.
District leaders said the next steps are to finalize training materials, distribute templates across buildings and engage outside vendors and directors to deliver targeted PD. No formal board action was required on the audit itself; the presentation was informational and intended to guide ongoing implementation work.
Ending: District officials said they will return to committees and the board with follow-up items as professional-development plans and documentation templates are finalized.
