Fox Chapel presents draft special-education plan after state cyclical monitoring flags participation, placement and transition items
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Summary
Director of Special Education Tim Mahoney reviewed the district's three-year K–12 special education plan, noting three indicators of concern identified by state cyclical monitoring and outlining a public comment process, planned revisions and next steps toward submission to the state.
Dr. Tim Mahoney, the district's director of special education and people services, presented an overview of the Fox Chapel Area School District K–12 special education plan required by Pennsylvania and federal law.
Mahoney said the plan follows Pennsylvania code and supports federal IDEA requirements, and that it is assembled through the state's Future Ready planning portal using publicly reported special education data (Penn Data/SEDR). He identified three indicators flagged in the district's latest cyclical monitoring for improvement: indicator 3 (participation in state assessments for students with IEPs), indicator 5 (students placed in other settings), and indicator 13 (transition planning compliance in IEPs).
On indicator 3 (participation), Mahoney reported the district's 2022 cohort participation rates for students with IEPs were 94.5% in fourth grade, 88.4% in eighth grade and 97% in 11th grade for reading and math — noting that the federal/state benchmark is 95% participation. Mahoney said small absolute counts can change the percentage for these subpopulations and that the district is taking steps to educate staff about the importance of those data points.
For indicator 5 (students educated in other settings), the plan noted a standard of 4.8% and a district rate of 5.5% in 2022. Mahoney said the district has reduced the number of students placed in alternative settings from 52 when he began to 26 currently. He estimated about seven students were placed for medical needs and roughly three to five for behavioral needs, with the remaining placements for other specialized needs. Mahoney described recent targeted efforts — including partnerships with the School for the Blind, expanded positive behavior supports and interagency work — intended to reduce out-of-district placements.
Indicator 13 (transition planning) showed 76.9% compliance in the cyclical monitoring file review; Mahoney explained that a clerical miscalculation for a single IEP of a student who turned 14 during the plan cycle resulted in multiple questions being marked "no," lowering the compliance percentage. The district is expanding transition training and working with national and regional organizations (notably the DCDT and the Allegheny Intermediate Unit) to strengthen planning for students aged 14 and above.
Mahoney outlined the public review and approval timeline: the draft plan will be posted publicly on March 17 for a 28-day review period with hard copies available in buildings and libraries and an email address for public comment; the board is scheduled to consider adoption on April 14; the district plans to submit the approved plan to the Bureau of Special Education (BSE) by May 1; and implementation is scheduled to begin July 1, 2025. Mahoney described which portions of the plan are "live" (caseloads, staffing, age ranges) and which require formal state approval for changes to facilities (a Special Education Plan Revision Notice, called a SERPENT, plus state review and site visit).
Mahoney said the statewide parent survey that accompanies cyclical monitoring had low response rates for the district (about 530 surveys sent with two responses received in the recent cycle) and that the district will continue outreach through building-level PTOs and other channels to gather feedback during the public comment period. He summarized next steps including additional parent outreach, continued staff professional development, and planned incorporation of feedback gathered through the 28-day review prior to board action.
Board members asked about the composition of placements and community outreach; Mahoney said the district will share a summary of public comments it receives during the review period when the plan comes to the board for a vote.