New Rochelle updates special education action plan; district reports early gains and continuing challenges

The New Rochelle City School District on Tuesday presented a detailed update on the district's special education action plan, reporting early progress in quality assurance and stakeholder engagement while outlining a five-year roadmap to address 37 recommendations from an external evaluation.

Board President William Iannuzzi invited Assistant Superintendent Dr. Ollivine F. Roberts and the district's newly appointed PreK-12 director of special education, Michelle O'Brien, to brief the board on progress since the Public Consulting Group (PCG) evaluation that informed the action plan.

The presentation summarized the plan's scope: 11 focus areas including MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports), referral/eligibility practices, inclusive services, Committee on Special Education (CSE) and Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) processes, family engagement, data reporting, policy and staffing allocation. District leaders said the work is being carried out as a multi-year effort and that last year served as a foundational year for planning and initial implementation.

"We are in this together," Michelle O'Brien told the board and community as she described accomplishments from the first year, which she grouped under facilitation of CPSE/CSE meetings, continuum of services and board policy revisions. O'Brien highlighted three accomplishments: a revised facilitator job description to norm practice; protocols with timelines clarifying roles in the CPSE/CSE process; and a revised continuum of services with clear criteria for programs.

To measure progress the district identified 10 key performance indicators (KPIs), using a mix of state and district measures. O'Brien reported a stakeholder survey sent to students in grades 6-12, parents and staff produced a 49% response rate (1,841 respondents). "Seventy-three percent of respondents rated statements favorably," she said, with 80% of parents, 68% of students and 72% of staff reporting favorable responses on the survey's aggregated items.

District leaders also reported results from an internal IEP audit covering 100 IEPs (about 6% of the district caseload). "Seventy-nine percent of the reviewed IEPs met New York State education criteria and were of high quality," O'Brien said. The district identified next steps to improve IEP goal writing, use data to inform CSE recommendations and strengthen transition planning at the secondary level.

The presentation described a number of ongoing and planned efforts: creating a comprehensive data collection system to capture IEP goal and behavioral data, increasing parent engagement with translated guides and workshops, establishing a 24-hour responsiveness expectation for family inquiries, launching a facilitator roundtable for professional learning, and expanding professional development on specially designed instruction (SDI) and inclusive coteaching.

Dr. Roberts framed the work as deliberate and sustainable: "We don't want to put in quick fixes that have to be undone overnight," she said, noting the district will address recommendations over an estimated five-year timeline and continue to monitor progress.

Trustees asked a series of clarifying questions during the public Q&A. A trustee asked whether KPI percentage increases referenced proficiency; the district confirmed the KPI references proficiency on state assessments. Several trustees pressed on strategies to address disproportionality for Black students in referrals and suspensions. O'Brien and Dr. Roberts said the district is partnering with the State and local BOCES providers, using data systems to study referrals and discipline by time, location and context, and implementing a continuous restorative-centered framework; they emphasized the district has not been cited by the state for disproportionality and said the work is proactive.

Board members also questioned the leadership structure. The district described a reorganization that places a single PreK-12 director over special education with multiple assistant directors assigned by feeder patterns. The district said this structure was adopted to provide more focused supervision and better alignment of practices across schools.

District leaders identified two principal challenges going forward: increasing student needs (which leaders described as intensified post-COVID) and difficulty hiring and retaining qualified staff. O'Brien said vacancies remain a hindrance and that the district is using professional learning, BOCES partnerships and revised roles to address capacity.

The district said it will continue to publish KPI updates, expand its IEP audit sample size, finalize and roll out the CPSE/CSE guiding question tool, and deliver additional progress updates to the board. Trustees and presenters emphasized that many efforts are in implementation and will require continued monitoring.

The presentation and Q&A session concluded with thanks to district staff and to the Special Education Parent-Teacher Association (SEPTA) for family outreach and partnership.

The board did not take any formal vote on the action plan during this meeting; the presentation served as an informational status update and the presenters recorded follow-up commitments and timelines.