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District outlines special‑education updates; parents urge clarity on inclusion pilot and staffing
Summary
Elk Grove Unified presented a detailed update on special education services — preschool assessments, assistive technology, transition programs, and a pilot to standardize IEP environmental‑support decisions — while parents urged clearer communications and additional behavioral supports for included students.
District special‑education leaders presented Part Two of a WestEd‑aligned review of services on May 4, highlighting preschool screening growth, assistive‑technology expansion, transition and adult‑services work, and a pilot to formalize an IEP‑based educational support process.
Ann Regali, director of special education, summarized a range of offerings from resource and learning centers to levels‑two‑through‑four programs, therapeutic academic behavior social (ABS) supports, non‑public school placements and transitional academics. She described assistive‑technology supports including low‑tech communication boards and high‑tech devices such as eye‑gaze systems that allow students with extensive physical disabilities to participate in classroom routines.
Regali said the district expects to complete about 831 preschool special‑education assessments by the end of the school year — a notable increase from previous years — and reported that about 38% of special‑education preschool students move into general‑education classes the following year. She also described recent investments in staffing, including additional behaviorists and program specialists and a multi‑year residency (REACH) partnership with University of the Pacific to recruit and credential special‑education teachers.
A pilot now underway aims to streamline the Educational Benefit Analysis and the Educational Support Process so IEP teams use consistent data‑driven criteria when adding or fading adult support and other environmental changes. Regali said the pilot (three‑to‑six IEP teams) will run through the end of the year and will be reported to the board with criteria, data and lessons learned.
Public comment and concerns: Parent Ebony Bowler testified that inclusion and MTSS rollout along a section of the district (Vintage Park corridor) has caused gaps in staffing and insufficient onsite behavioral supports; she said some families struggle to enroll special‑education students in afterschool Excel programs and described increased bullying and suspension rates for some students. Board members asked staff to provide more data on vacancy trends and the mix of agency versus district paraeducators and to return with comparative data and retention metrics.
Why it matters: The special‑education update outlines significant operational work — early identification, assistive technology, transition‑to‑work supports and recruitment pipelines — but parents’ comments show implementation tension around inclusion, paraeducator availability and safety for vulnerable students.
What the district will do next: Staff indicated they will report back with refined pilot criteria and conclusive pilot results, provide additional hiring and retention data and continue collaboration with WestEd to finalize recommendations.
