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Parents and advocates urge science‑based reading curriculum and more support for disruptive students
Summary
A Special Education parent advisory representative urged adoption of a reading curriculum grounded in the science of reading and early dyslexia screening; a longtime district teacher said the code of conduct and current interventions leave teachers and students without effective alternatives and asked for small‑group, instructional programs for repeatedly disruptive students.
Two public commenters used the board’s public‑comment period to press the district on instruction and behavior supports.
Mary Nolan, representing the Albany CPAC Special Education Parent Advisory Council, urged the board to prioritize a reading curriculum based on decades of research, including systematic, explicit phonics instruction and early screening for dyslexia. Nolan said the district should invest in comprehensive professional development and literacy coaching in every building; she cited that only 42% of third graders in the district read at proficiency and warned that many struggling readers need direct, science‑based instruction rather than exposure‑based approaches.
“Structured, explicit, and systematic direct instruction in phonics and language patterns is essential,” Nolan said, adding that the district should prioritize the professional development needed to implement such curriculum effectively.
Later, a veteran district teacher who identified herself as Stephanie Pharaoh described classroom disruptions that she said persist despite repeated minor sanctions. She said some students repeatedly "substantially disrupt the education process" and that the district historically relied on strategies like "planned ignoring" that do not solve chronic disruptive behavior. She urged the board and administration to develop alternative small‑group programs that provide instruction and behavioral support, citing a previous TLC program at North Albany as a model.
Board members did not take action during the meeting but the comments were placed on record ahead of forthcoming policy committee work on the annual code of conduct.
