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Easton presents 2026–29 special-education plan, flags inclusion and assessment participation as top priorities
Summary
District special-education staff presented the 2026–29 plan, reporting Easton serves 21.5% of students with IEPs, strong graduation and post-school outcomes for students with IEPs, and several compliance and outcome targets needing improvement, notably assessment participation/performance and least-restrictive-environment placements.
District special-education staff presented the Easton Area School District's 2026–29 special-education plan and an analysis of state performance indicators, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement.
Sean, the district special-education lead, summarized key data drawn from state reporting. Easton currently reports 21.5% of students with IEPs—close to the state rate—and strong outcomes in some compliance and transition measures: the district met targets for graduation with a diploma for students with IEPs (88.8% LEA rate, above the 86% target) and reported high post-school outcomes (41.7% of students with IEPs pursuing higher education, higher than state average).
At the same time, Sean identified four areas needing focused attention: participation and performance of students with IEPs on statewide assessments (PSSAs and Keystones), disproportionate out-of-school suspension rates (>10 days) for students with IEPs, and a higher-than-target share of students educated outside the regular classroom under 40% of the day. He told the board the district will pursue inclusion-expansion strategies, program development to reduce out-of-district placements, targeted professional development for general and special educators, and stronger family engagement.
"As I was working through the plan... I kept coming back to three words: access, equity, and excellence," Sean said, framing the plan's priorities. The district reported progress that led to corrective-action closure on one indicator (LRE calculations), but emphasized that LRE placement and assessment participation remain central improvement areas.
Next steps: the plan will complete a 28-day public review period; staff expect to bring a final plan for board approval at the April 28 meeting and to submit it to the state on May 1.
