Worcester School Committee hears detailed SAIL (autism) update as enrollment rises

The Worcester School Committee on Wednesday received a detailed update on the district—s SAIL (Specialized Approaches to Individual Learning) program as officials described significant growth in students identified with autism and plans to expand services and professional development.

Dr. Tammy Murray, director of special education, told the committee that 1,085 students in the district have an IEP with autism listed as the primary disability category, a near doubling since 2020 and roughly 19.1% of all students with disabilities in the district. She said the SAIL program is now organized into a three-tiered model to match students— needs with levels of support and that the district currently operates 59 SAIL classrooms plus 14 half-day preschool sessions, for 73 total SAIL classroom/sessions across 14 schools.

"This year we formally tiered all of our SAIL classrooms," Dr. Murray said. "The tiered model creates a clear, structured continuum that allows us to match students with the level of support they need." She described tier-one inclusion options through tier-three full-day, intensive classrooms and said tier placement is reviewed at least annually using structured questionnaires and data analysis.

The presentation included program data and staffing information: 726 students are enrolled in substantially separate SAIL classrooms; the bulk of SAIL placements are at the elementary level (596 students), with far fewer recorded at middle (71) and high school (59) levels, creating a planning emphasis on transitions and future middle- and high-school capacity. The district reported that 40.8% of students with a primary autism classification receive full or partial inclusion services; 51.3% are in substantially separate classrooms and 7.8% are placed out of district.

Administrators said the district has partnered with the New England Center for Children and adopted the ACE (Autism Curriculum Encyclopedia) to ensure consistent, evidence-based instruction and districtwide daily data collection. Officials also said they will pursue additional evidence-based curriculum purchases, expand professional development (including de-escalation training), reallocate Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) positions back into schools for direct student support, and launch a Communication and Readiness Enhancement (CARE) preschool program to provide earlier interventions.

Parents and advocates in public comment had urged more training for paraeducators, improved transportation for students with health needs and more transparent outreach to families. Nelly Medina, a District E resident and advocate, said families remain concerned about access to virtual IEP meetings and uneven recognition of Autism Acceptance Month. "We will continue to advocate until the education and safety of our children are secure," she said.

Committee members pressed administration on several operational questions: how tiers are assigned and reviewed; how staff absences and leaves (reported as an elevated rate among SAIL teachers) affect classroom coverage; whether sufficient classroom space exists for projected future increases; and how the district will budget for additional staffing. Member Mailman moved that the committee establish a public curriculum-review schedule to improve stakeholder visibility when large instructional contracts are anticipated.

Dr. Murray said administration will continue monitoring enrollment trends and staffing needs and noted that the district is working on recruitment, retention, onboarding for paraeducators and expanded administrator training to improve implementation.

The committee accepted the SAIL presentation and asked administration to return with follow-up data and planned budget requests ahead of the FY27 budget process.