SFUSD proposes pilot to expand inclusive placements for students with IEPs in transitional grades

Cecilia Dodge, Assistant Superintendent for Special Education, presented a proposal to begin expanding inclusive practices by allowing students whose IEPs specify "inclusion" to participate in the same school-choice process as their typically developing peers for transitional grades (incoming kindergarten, sixth and ninth). The district proposed a small-scale start: approximately 100 kindergarteners, 45 sixth graders and 35 ninth graders, with reserved seats held during the assignment process to ensure placement stability.

Dodge said the goal is to phase in inclusion while preparing principals and staff through targeted professional development so schools can implement inclusive practices successfully. She described options for how to reserve seats (for example, one reserved seat per kindergarten class or clustered capacities) and acknowledged open questions about how, when and where held seats would be released should demand be lower than the number held.

Commissioners raised concerns about the budget and the risk of leaving seats empty that would otherwise be filled by general enrollment; staff said they will work with budget and operations teams to "hold schools harmless" through enrollment projections and that a working group will set site-level capacities and release rules. Some commissioners proposed running an initial assignment pass for students with IEPs first to measure how many seats are actually needed and then release unused seats rather than withholding large numbers across all sites.

Members of the community advisory committee and parents strongly supported the move, while urging clear district definitions of "inclusion," a written policy, principal-level leadership, and substantial mentoring and staff development to make expansion meaningful and consistent across schools.