Exeter Township SD says autistic-support classrooms tripled in three years as district expands training and coaching supports

Exeter Township School District officials told the school board on April 21 that the district has rapidly expanded its autistic-support classrooms in response to rising student need and is leaning on regional training partnerships to maintain quality.

Mrs. Ciphert, the district's special-education supervisor, said the district has seen roughly a 6% increase in students whose primary disability is autism over the last 15 years and “about a 4.5% increase in the last five years,” which translated into roughly 40 additional students districtwide. “In three years, we’ve tripled the number of elementary autistic support classrooms that we have needed,” she said.

Why it matters: The increase shifts staffing and space needs and raises operating costs for specialized instruction and supports. Superintendent Dr. Christy Hower and assistant superintendent Dawn Harris told the board district leaders are trying to balance inclusion with intensive supports where required by students' individualized education programs (IEPs).

How the district is responding: Ciphert described multiple layered interventions. Two classrooms are designated “targeted” and receive monthly consultant visits from Patan; an identified BCBA serves as an internal coach to generalize practices to the other autistic-support classrooms. The district also partnered with BCIU to host an autism-classroom training series locally so more staff can obtain in-depth training without lengthy travel.

Ciphert said the district uses monthly team meetings for each autistic-support classroom to review progress-monitoring and communication data. “We sit down monthly as an internal team for each one of those autistic support classrooms and go through every single student,” she said, listing participation by speech-language pathologists, school psychologists, principals and the BCBA.

Board questions and clarifications: Board members asked why enrollment in grades 5–8 is low relative to primary grades. Ciphert said part of the pattern is demographic — lower enrollment in those grades — and some older students have been placed out of district when they require more specialized settings. She also emphasized that placement in general-education classes is an IEP decision tailored to each child’s needs.

Operational context: Board members noted the cost pressures of rising special-education enrollment and asked the administration to account for staffing, training and placement costs as the budget is finalized. The board was reminded that Pennsylvania guidance limits autistic-support classroom caseloads to roughly 8–10 students, and that district staff are trying to preserve program fidelity while expanding to additional buildings.

Next steps: District leaders said they will continue monthly internal reviews, maintain the BCIU and Patan partnerships, and report budgetary implications during upcoming finance committee meetings.

(Reporting on presentations and Q&A at the Exeter Township School Board meeting, April 21, 2026.)