Haddonfield special education director reports increased inclusion, outlines continued program expansions
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Summary
Director of Special Education Dana Blair told the Haddonfield Board of Education the districtis seeing a lower classification rate, high inclusion in general education, expanded trainings and parent academies, and plans for ESY and programs for 18—1 year-olds and students with anxiety.
Dana Blair, director of special education for the Haddonfield School District, told the Board of Education on Monday that the district is seeing a modest decline in its special education classification rate while expanding inclusion and staff training.
"I'm the director of special education. I'm Dana Blair," Blair said as she opened a data-driven summary of the year. Using a May 21 snapshot, she reported total district enrollment of 2,991 and said about 380 students were classified and receiving special education and related services; an additional 56 students were listed as speech-only and 16 were "in process." Blair said the districtclassification rate was 14.58 percent at that snapshot, which she described as the lowest in four or five years.
The presentation emphasized inclusion: Blair reported that 92 percent of in-district students with IEPs were educated in the general-education classroom for 80 percent or more of the school day, based on the district's in-house IEP data. She cautioned that New Jersey Department of Education public figures can differ because they include Haddonfield residents placed in private schools.
Blair described a range of professional development and parent outreach conducted this year. She said case managers were reorganized by grade band rather than by school to improve equity, and introduced "CST scenarios" (role-play case studies) to align practice across preschool through high school. The district brought in the New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education to consult on middle-school science and social studies inclusion and expanded training in nonviolent crisis prevention; Blair said she and several staff became trainers in that curriculum.
Blair also described a new sequence of parent academies, which offered one-hour lunchtime workshops on topics parents requested, including executive-functioning strategies and mental-health tools. She said the executive-functioning session drew about 40 live participants and recorded viewership continues to grow.
Program highlights included preschool adjustments (a move to afternoon ITT that Blair said was successful), a preschool potty-training focus, increased community-based trips for self-contained and inclusive classrooms, and expanded transition/postgraduate placements. Blair said the district had 19 out-of-district placements at the time of the snapshot, including seven postgraduate students, and noted the district is closely reviewing trends in those placements.
Behavior services were also a focus: Blair said two BCBAs provide oversight of both in-house and contracted assistants, ensure data-driven fading of one-to-one supports where appropriate, and maintain communication logs for students who are nonverbal.
Blair outlined continued priorities for next year: refining Tier 1 interventions, taking a deeper look at 504 plans, piloting additional supports for school refusal and anxiety, and continuing professional development and parent academies. She said extended school year (ESY) programming will run at Central Middle School beginning July 1.
No formal action was requested; the presentation was followed by a short discussion and applause from board members.
