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Students spotlight Unified Sports growth; district reviews special-education and MTSS progress
Summary
Student leader Ruby Ortner described the expansion of the district—s Unified Sports (basketball, bowling, intramural hockey), fundraising and outreach; district staff presented special-education continuum updates, MTSS revision goals, literacy interventions and graduation/placement data for identified students.
Student leader Ruby Ortner told the board the district—s Unified Sports program has expanded from Unified Basketball into Unified Bowling and intramural Unified Hockey, bringing more students into inclusive activities and creating new events like a polar plunge fundraiser and an annual Special Olympics program.
"Unified Basketball, I first participated this year, and it's always amazing to see the smiles on the kids as they're coming together," Ruby Ortner (speaker 3) said. She described partnerships with the National Honor Society, outreach through Instagram and Wellness Wednesday events, and a sizable increase in volunteer participation.
The presenter on student support services reviewed the district—s special education continuum (resource rooms, integrated co-teach, TIP therapeutic intervention program, life skills and CASA), training in Orton-Gillingham for K—6, progress monitoring using FastBridge data, the use of universal design for learning (UDL), and measures intended to reduce special-education classification rates.
Data presented: the presenter reported that in the 2023—24 school year 40 identified students graduated: 28 received diplomas and 12 received commencement credentials; of identified students the presenter cited an 84% graduation rate and noted that the district had the highest graduation rate for students with disabilities in the county as of the data cited.
The presenter also noted growth in McKinney-Vento (unhoused) student counts, work on a threat-assessment process, exploration of an anonymous tip line through BOCES, and plans to pursue a teletherapy contract to create direct referral pathways for students and families.
Why it matters: The student presentation and the district—s special-education and MTSS updates highlight inclusive programming, volunteer engagement and instructional investments intended to improve literacy and graduation outcomes for identified students.
Next steps: Staff will continue implementation of MTSS revisions, monitor FastBridge and benchmark data, pursue teletherapy contracting, and return periodic updates on progress and outcomes to the board.
Note on transcription: fundraising figures were reported in the transcript in a way that appears inconsistent (speaker reported raising about $3,000 last year and "almost, like, $1,112,000 dollars" this year). That large dollar figure appears to be a transcription or verbal error and should be verified with program leaders prior to publication.
