Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Supports topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District staff describe plans for therapeutic services and paraprofessional professional learning
Summary
Administrators described attendance at a national therapeutic‑schools conference, plans for a 5–12 therapeutic program to keep students served within district, and an ongoing paraprofessional book study supported by a University of Iowa grant.
District administrators reported on learning from national therapeutic‑schools programming and described local steps to expand supports for students with behavioral and social‑emotional needs.
At a recent conference administrators learned practices used by therapeutic schools, including limited in‑class technology, attention to nutrition and outdoor or hands‑on experiences (greenhouses, wilderness programs and animal‑assisted interventions). The administration said the district aims to develop a 5–12 program next school year to provide in‑district supports so students with behavioral or social‑emotional learning needs can remain on campus.
Separately, administrators described a paraprofessional book study for professional learning. The district secured approximately $25,000 through the Scanlon School of Mental Health grant at the University of Iowa to support training for paraeducators; the program provides textbooks, real‑life scenarios and coaching across elementary and secondary sites.
Why it matters: developing in‑district therapeutic programming can reduce out‑of‑district placements and keep support services and related funding within the district; training paraprofessionals aims to improve inclusive practices and classroom support for students.
Ending
Administrators said more details about the 5–12 program will be provided in the coming weeks and that West building paraprofessionals will begin the current cycle of the book study next week.
