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Special education director reports rising high‑needs caseload, outlines safety and compliance priorities
Summary
Kathleen Johnson, the district’s special education director, told the board that cyclical ODE monitoring, growing autism enrollments and student behavior needs are driving plans for training, resource fairs and staffing; she reported the autism program grew from 12 to 26 students.
Kathleen Johnson, Cascade SD 5’s director of special education, told the board at the Oct. 13 work session that the district faces a growing high‑needs caseload and is focusing on compliance, family supports and staff safety training.
Johnson said the district is in cyclical monitoring by the Oregon Department of Education and recounted a previous monitoring round in which the district submitted 40 files and the team ultimately had zero compliance errors after contesting one finding. “Compliance is a big part of my job,” Johnson said, describing ongoing efforts to keep IEPs purposeful and compliant.
On safety and behavior, Johnson said the district has professional development planned for restraint and seclusion practices and a "pad and shield" training aimed at keeping staff safe when students become physically aggressive. She told the board that, across the district, “I wanna say about 20 students who can become physically violent, mostly at the elementary level.” That figure frames part of the district’s safety and staffing planning.
Johnson also described a notable increase in identified students with autism: the autism program had about 12 students five years ago and rose to 26 as of the day before the meeting. She said the district saw approximately 25 preschool students with identified high needs move into the district this school year, with 13 of them entering the autism program.
Johnson emphasized parent supports and professional development as priorities: the district plans resource fairs for families of students with disabilities, IEP nights to explain processes and targeted PD for staff on safety and instruction. She described placement and diploma determinations as team decisions, explaining that students in special education can qualify for different diploma pathways (honors, regular, modified, extended, certificate of attendance) depending on team assessments.
Why it matters: rising high‑needs enrollment and behavior incidents have implications for staffing, training and classroom safety; Johnson requested board visibility and support to ensure the district can continue delivering individualized services.
Next steps: schedule of pad and shield training and a resource fair were mentioned; no formal policy vote occurred during the session.
