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Bend‑LaPine presents student services update: counselors, school nurses, special‑education strain and partnership expansions
Summary
District student services leaders detailed programs supporting mental health, chronic conditions and special education; leaders said the district added 55 counselors, has three school‑based health centers, serves 59 students with type‑1 diabetes, but reported a net increase of 264 students with IEPs since COVID with no corresponding staffing increases.
At the Nov. 20 meeting the Bend‑LaPine Student Services team gave a broad update on nursing, mental health, special education and alternative programs and described staffing pressures as student needs grow.
Executive Director Sean Reinhart introduced the department and its leadership, saying the team supports thousands of students across the district and that “just with 504s and IEPs alone, we serve 2,600 students in the district” (presentation remark). He outlined partnerships with Deschutes County behavioral health, Mosaic Community Health, Saint Charles and Healthy Schools that provide in‑school supports and Medicaid reimbursement assistance.
Health services staff said the district currently identifies 59 students with type‑1 diabetes who require individualized daily medical oversight, and they emphasized the critical role of school nurses in enabling those students to attend and fully participate in school.
Jennifer Howth, director of student well‑being, said the district now employs 55 school counselors and for the first time has a full or part‑time counselor at every Ben‑LaPine elementary school. The district is in year three of Wayfinder SEL curriculum implementation and uses School Links to track college and career data for recent graduating classes.
Special education directors described coaching and mentoring supports for new special‑education teachers and educational assistants, in‑district onboarding, and inclusion practices intended to let students access general education classes when appropriate. Directors noted the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) fiftieth anniversary and stressed compliance obligations.
District leadership reported an increase of 264 additional students with IEPs since the COVID period; staff said those additions came without a matching increase in staffing and that the special‑education department is “stretched very, very hard.” Administrators described steps to recruit and ‘grow‑your‑own’ staff, emergency licensure options, outreach to regional training programs, and use of contractors or partners to expand occupational therapy and other services.
Board members asked for a more detailed breakdown of counts (IEPs, 504 plans, by disability category), caseloads, and the allocation of integrated program funds. Administration said some requested data had been emailed as supplementary material and agreed to add requested breakdowns to future board packets.
Leaders also described alternative programs (NEST for K–5; Sagebrush partial hospitalization) and a transition program for 18–21‑year‑old students that includes COCC coursework. Several board members and students praised the addition of school‑based health center transportation for students at schools without centers.
The board took no immediate action to change staffing or budgets at the meeting; directors asked staff to return with the requested counts and program‑level data so the board can consider resource options.
