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Special education enrollment rises to 26.2% in Altoona; board presses on diagnoses and costs
Summary
The district’s December 1 child‑count shows 26.2% of students receiving special education services, up 2.1 percentage points from the prior year; administration cited statewide trends, increases in 'other health impairment' diagnoses and rising independent evaluation requests costing $4,000–$6,000.
Michelle, who presented the district’s special‑education annual report, told the board that the district’s December 1 child count for 2023 shows 26.2% of students are served under special education, an increase from 24.9% the previous year.
Michelle said the district and state have seen a notable rise in the category labeled "other health impairment," which includes conditions such as ADHD, anxiety and depression, and that the district’s increase is consistent with statewide trends since 2020. Administrators told the board that state cyclical monitoring praised district paperwork and documentation but that a small number of corrective‑action items are expected and that the district has invested in consultant support to improve processes.
Board members pressed for details about who is making diagnoses and whether patterns suggest over‑identification. Michelle said diagnoses come from both outside medical providers (for example, autism diagnoses from regional children’s hospitals) and from in‑district staff (speech‑language pathologists and school psychologists). She said the district’s multidisciplinary teams apply Pennsylvania’s two‑prong eligibility criteria and that school psychologists can re‑evaluate and conduct ADOS testing when an outside assessment appears problematic.
Administrators also noted a rise in requests for independent evaluations — which the district may provide at its expense — and estimated those external assessments typically cost $4,000 to $6,000. The board discussed manifestation determinations and discipline for students with disabilities; Michelle explained that a manifestation determination is used to assess whether behavior is a manifestation of a student’s disability and that the district balances code‑of‑conduct enforcement with legal protections.
Members asked for ongoing monitoring for possible patterns in evaluation sources and for more granular data about which student groups are driving increases. Administrators said they would continue to track trends, report quarterly and use existing checks in the evaluation process.
No formal action was taken at this meeting; the report was delivered for board review and discussion.
