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District highlights inclusion gains and new supports in special education update
Summary
San Mateo-Foster City School District presented a detailed special‑education update highlighting inclusion goals, a SIP Inclusion Academy partnership, expansion of behavior supports and declines in costly nonpublic placements, while trustees asked about federal funding and family communication.
Heather Morgan, the district’s executive director of special education, told the board the district defines inclusion as “creating belonging and welcoming environments for all students” and emphasized that inclusion is individualized and must work in tandem with IEP decisions. Morgan presented program, staffing and fiscal updates and described partnerships and training intended to shift school culture toward greater inclusion.
The nut graf: Morgan said the district exceeded the state inclusion target in 2024–25, reporting that of 964 students with IEPs, 761 spent more than 80% of the school day in general education—"That equals 69.56%," she said—above the state's target for that year. She also described partnerships (a state SIP Inclusion Academy) and local efforts to expand supports in classrooms.
Morgan outlined the Inclusion Academy participation and timeline, noting the district is a tier‑2 grantee with sessions already underway and additional sessions scheduled for December and March. She said the academy work is intended to align systems, center educator beliefs and accelerate impact with county and statewide partners.
On services and staffing, Morgan said the district has grown its BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) team to six district FTEs to oversee behavior technicians, provide crisis intervention and support IEP teams. She described multi‑tier training efforts and an elementary math–special‑education collaboration that has run four of six planned training days and aims to keep students with learning differences connected to grade‑level content.
Fiscal updates included a reported reduction in nonpublic school placements: “As of March ’25 we had 28 students attending nonpublic schools. We currently have 23,” Morgan said, noting the district has narrowed its roster of agency partners to improve quality and consistency.
Trustees praised the depth of the presentation and asked for clearer communication to families. Several trustees raised concerns about potential federal changes to special‑education oversight and funding; Morgan and other staff said California’s Department of Education provides strong statewide monitoring and that the district is tracking federal developments closely.
The board did not take formal policy action during the presentation; trustees asked for follow‑up briefings on community outreach and on ways to increase visibility into supports at specific sites. Morgan closed by announcing parent‑education opportunities and a CDAC meeting on Dec. 16 focused on inclusion.
The district plans additional outreach and a future study session to provide more detail on implementation and family‑facing communications.
