Parents urge more inclusive practices for students with IEPs, cite re-evaluation delays

Ursula Lessig, a North Allegheny graduate and parent of twin middle-school students, urged the board to expand inclusive practices in general-education classrooms rather than rely on segregated support rooms.

Lessig described a multi-year experience in which one of her twins was placed in a learning-support classroom while the other received itinerant services; she said reevaluation took months, sometimes involved incorrect testing (assessments conducted "with the wrong twin"), and COVID interruptions prevented IEPs from being implemented on schedule. She said the experience produced social isolation and ongoing trauma for her child.

Lessig told the board she understands the work has not been deliberately harmful but said the district must provide clearer transparency and "actionable goals related to inclusion" in the strategic comprehensive plan. She said it is her understanding that about 25% of the district’s students are served under IEPs (this figure was presented by the speaker in the meeting record) and that frequent turnover has affected the student services leadership (she said five different people have held the role since 2018, and the position has sometimes been vacant).

Lessig provided the board with a 2023 publication, "Achieving Inclusion: Strategies for Creating Inclusive Classrooms for All Students," produced by PEEL and the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council, and asked the board to continue the conversation and support inclusive practices.

Board response: Trustees thanked Lessig for sharing a detailed family history and said they would continue work on special-education services. The meeting record does not show formal board action tied to this comment during the session.