South Euclid-Lyndhurst highlights preschool growth and rolls out district crisis plan with Raptor alerts

The South Euclid-Lyndhurst City Board of Education on an evening meeting presented data showing the district preschool has doubled in size in recent years and described a new districtwide crisis communications plan that will use the Raptor Emergency Notification System to alert staff and, optionally, local responders.

The preschool presentation included enrollment, staffing and program details and emphasized integration of students with and without disabilities. "We currently have a hundred preschool students attending our classrooms," said Mrs. Weinberg, preschool coordinator and school psychologist, who said 66% of those students receive special-education services and 34% are typically developing peer models. Weinberg said the program operates eight half-day integrated classrooms Monday through Thursday (about 2½ hours per session), plus one extended-day classroom for students with more intensive needs, and that 31 additional students receive itinerant services in community or home settings.

The presentation listed support services and staff: seven intervention specialists, 10 intervention-specialist assistants, two speech-language therapists, one occupational therapist and a physical therapist shared across the district. Weinberg said the program has sustained Ohio's highest early-childhood quality rating: "We are proud to say we are still a gold rated preschool program," referencing the…