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District outlines growing special‑education and student‑support needs, audit action steps
Summary
At its Oct. 14 meeting the Saugerties Central School District detailed rising speech and occupational therapy demand, RCPC classroom staffing, preschool capacity plans and steps from a special‑education audit to reassign duties and free psychologists for classroom and crisis work.
At the Oct. 14 regular meeting of the Saugerties Central School District Board of Education, Doctor Kaffler presented an extended update on special‑education and student‑support services, warning the district is seeing rising demand for related services and laying out steps from the district’s special‑education audit action plan.
Kaffler said Rockham County Psychiatric Center (RCPC) programming operates three classrooms and the district secured an additional social worker to reduce case overlap that previously required staff to cover multiple classrooms. A new teacher, identified in the report as Miss Cabell, was added to a smaller‑ratio class and preschool services are ramping up after initial start‑of‑year delays. "We actually got an extra social worker for them because we noticed they were sharing between the two classes," Kaffler said, describing changes intended to provide more consistent student support.
The district reported increases in occupational therapy and speech‑language services, with occupational therapy contracted through ProCare and speech therapists assigned at multiple elementary sites. Kaffler said physical‑therapy numbers remain stable but that preschool language needs have jumped. The district also named staff changes: school psychologist Shannae Woodbridge has returned and Brianna Boyce was noted as a new psychologist providing middle‑school and outpatient testing services.
Kaffler outlined operational changes tied to the special‑education audit: shifting some Section 504 responsibilities from psychologists to principals, moving preschool, homeschool and manifestation meetings to the PPS office, and committing to weekly leadership meetings with Jamie to review progress. Those shifts are intended to free psychologists for in‑class work and crisis response, Kaffler said.
Board members asked detailed follow‑ups on RCPC staffing levels, backup coverage when social workers are absent, and whether English‑language‑learner (ELL) students are being misclassified into special education. Kaffler said a newly hired family liaison, Megan Wright, has improved consent rates for evaluations by doing home outreach. On hospital instruction, Kaffler said the district contracts with LearnWell to provide required instruction when students are hospitalized and the district pays for that service.
The presentation closed with a reminder that some services are provided through partnerships (for example, Ulster County Mental Health and Aster services) and that the district continues to monitor placements, staffing and service delivery as the year progresses. The board did not take formal action on these items at the meeting; they were presented for information and follow‑up.
