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Board approves orientation and mobility services and reviews rising speech-related IEPs and absenteeism
Summary
The board approved contracting with an orientation and mobility specialist for a visually impaired student and heard a special-education update showing 141 students with IEPs and a high speech-service ratio; attendance rates and interventions were also discussed.
The Pendleton County Schools board approved contracted orientation and mobility services to support a visually impaired student and received detailed updates on special-education caseloads and chronic absenteeism.
The superintendent recommended approval of contracted services with Megan Hoover, described as an orientation and mobility teacher who will provide in-person visits as determined by the eligibility team. The motion to approve the contract carried by voice vote. A board member asked about the provider's travel distance; the superintendent and others noted the provider would travel from the Eastern Panhandle area.
Special-education staffing and caseloads were a focus of the meeting. The special-education presenter reported, “we have a 141 students with IEPs in the county with disabilities,” and said the system currently employs 18 special-education teachers and 9 aides, yielding an overall teacher ratio of about 6.3 to 1 and, including aides, roughly 4 to 1. The presenter emphasized that speech-only IEPs and speech-related interventions are a growing portion of new IEPs and that the county has a high speech caseload: “if we look at speech IEPs and intervention, it's a ratio of 57 to 1.” The presenter said that early intervention is important and framed speech pathologists as essential to student progress.
Attendance was reviewed using day-120 metrics. The presenter gave school-level chronic-absence percentages: Brandywine Elementary 10.34%, Franklin Elementary 7.79%, North Fork Elementary 6.06%, the middle-high school 15.68%, and the county overall 11.46%. The presenter credited local attendance work (including partnerships with CIS and attendance teams) and a superintendent-led initiative to reduce chronic absence rates over five years.
Why it matters: the contracted orientation and mobility services directly affect a student with a visual impairment; the special-education ratios and high speech caseload highlight resource needs that can influence future hiring and service postings; chronic absenteeism figures inform outreach and student-support priorities.
What the board said: members praised school staff and administrators for improvements and discussed potential supports including no-tech days and family engagement to address speech and attendance concerns.
Next steps: the special-education office will schedule the contracted visits and pursue additional speech support resources; administration will post the speech pathologist vacancy as approved earlier in the meeting.
