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Audit report: Greencastle-Antrim district sees rise in 504 plans, state monitoring flags paperwork items
Summary
District staff reported to the Greencastle-Antrim board that state auditors required additional review of certain special education and testing files. Administrators said 504 service plans have increased from 75 to 171 and outlined several paperwork fixes and monitoring items required by the state.
District special education and compliance staff updated the Greencastle-Antrim School District board on June 19 about a recent final audit and monitoring visit by state representatives and the intermediate unit.
The staff member presenting said the district must submit 10 additional files for on-site review and address three specific paperwork items the monitors identified: ensuring extended school year (ESY) paperwork is completed by the March 31 deadline; adding a required student survey to Indicator 13 transition planning documentation (the district had a parent and teacher survey but not a student survey in at least one file); and correcting three individual student‑file entries where information such as an address or a date was missing.
The presenter noted that the district’s number of 504 service plans has increased markedly in recent years — from 75 when a new supervisor took the position three years ago to 171 at the end of the school year. The presenter said this increase reflects expanded efforts to provide access to education for students with medical needs and other accommodations.
The audit report also flagged monitoring areas where the state will continue oversight for the next two school years. Those areas include the district’s rates of students receiving services outside the general education setting (least restrictive environment) and participation rates on state assessments (PSSA and Keystone exams). The presenter said participation rates can be affected when parents opt students out of statewide tests; that opt-outs count against participation percentages and can also affect proficiency reporting.
District staff reported strength in several areas: improved, consistent data collection (aimsweb) and rising math scores, expansion of school‑based counseling and cases where students exited special education because they no longer required specialized services. The presenter said six students exited special education services this year and that the district is identifying additional students for gifted education evaluation.
Administration described the audit findings as routine and fixable, saying most issues involved documentation or PowerSchool data-entry inconsistencies rather than service delivery failures. The district will respond with the requested file reviews and corrective actions.
