Special-education leader outlines LRE focus, county parent advisory and transition supports

Stephanie Hayes, Plymouth-Canton Community Schools’ executive director for special education, told the Parent Council on March 1 that the district is prioritizing consistency, compliance and family connections as it implements special-education services across the district.

Hayes said a central objective is ensuring placements for students with disabilities are appropriate and as inclusive as possible, invoking the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Least Restrictive Environment standard. "We want to ensure that our students with disabilities are appropriately placed and and educated with children who are non disabled and accessing the gen ed curriculum," she said.

Hayes described staffing and supervisory structures the department is building: supervisors assigned to elementary, middle and high school levels, specialized staff for early childhood and autism programming, and newly hired administrators to support compliance and data reporting that inform funding and placement decisions. She said the department includes "a couple 100 professional staff," spread across the district.

On parent engagement, Hayes announced the formation of a Wayne County/PCCS parent advisory committee ("PACK") for families of students with disabilities. The committee, she said, has two nominated parent representatives and was approved at the district board level before moving to Wayne County for its approval. Hayes described the PACK as a resource and connection point that will host speakers, professional-development nights and family events; she cited an upcoming resource fair focused on transition-age services for students ages 14–26.

Hayes also framed recruitment and retention as near-term priorities for the department. She said the district is working with local universities, human resources and finance to stabilize staffing and build consistency in service delivery across buildings. "We're trying to make sure we're trying to keep our great staff and also bring on wonderful staff as well," she said.

Parents at the meeting asked clarifying questions about how PACK will interact with school-level parent groups and how the district will communicate points of contact; Hayes said supervisors and administrators are listed on the district website and pledged follow-up conversations and planning meetings.

The presentation closed with Hayes inviting parents to participate in upcoming planning and outreach; she said the department will publish a schedule of meetings and events for the coming year and urged families to use the resource fair and PACK as ways to connect with other families and with administrators.

The special-education presentation concluded without a board vote; Hayes asked meeting attendees for feedback and indicated the PACK is moving forward through the district approval process and to Wayne County for finalization.