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Educators and paraprofessionals tell SSD board shortages are leaving students and staff at risk
Summary
More than a dozen educators and stakeholders told the Special School District board that severe shortages of trained special‑education staff are harming students and forcing teachers and paraprofessionals into unsustainable schedules; speakers urged immediate board action and better staffing, citing missed IEP minutes, substitutes filling certified roles and safety concerns.
Dozens of written and live public comments at the Special School District board meeting focused on what speakers described as an acute shortage of trained special‑education staff across St. Louis County, with multiple educators saying the gaps are causing missed services and unsafe conditions for students.
Sarah Hertel, a paraprofessional at Oakville Elementary, told the board Oakville serves 51 students with special‑education needs but has only four teacher‑level positions (one filled by a long‑term substitute) and seven paraprofessionals (one a substitute). "We currently have over 3,000 adult IEP support minutes per week that are not being followed," Hertel said, adding that when staff must respond to crises "the remaining students we are assigned to no longer receive the support they require."
Other submissions read by the board secretary described similar problems. Laura Schack wrote that teachers are "used, overlooked, and underappreciated" and that implementation of new life‑course standards has added paperwork and time burdens. Megan O'Brien, a general‑education teacher at Webster Grove, said temporary substitutes are covering SSD teaching positions and argued the practice leaves students without consistent, trained instruction.
Cassie Rushing, an SSP teacher in a partner district, urged board members to visit classrooms unannounced: "If you truly believe there are no staffing shortages, come see for yourself," she said. Several commenters described staff working long hours, skipped breaks, and the emotional toll of increasingly heavy caseloads; one writer warned the district had discussed cutting $50,000 from next year's budget.
Speakers cited specific instructional impacts: increased caseloads, missed medication or IEP‑specified services, students removed from general‑education instruction, and incidents tied to insufficient supervision or training. Corey Hackett, a paraprofessional with 20 years in SSD partner schools, said staff sometimes are left alone with students in restrooms and reported students wearing soiled pull‑ups while awaiting assistance.
Board members did not make policy decisions during the public‑comment period; the board's chair thanked speakers and the meeting proceeded to the consent agenda. The public comments were recorded for the meeting minutes and the board said written submissions would be reviewed later.
The meeting concluded with a series of routine approvals and a motion to hold a closed meeting on Oct. 28 to discuss legal and personnel matters. The transcript does not record a direct, immediate response from district leadership resolving the staffing complaints raised during public comment.
