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Advocate urges board review of special-education staffing and caseloads
Summary
A parent and special-education advocate told the board that caseloads for related-service providers can reach 160–195 students and described long delays for behavioral supports; she asked the board to conduct a comprehensive review of staffing, caseload allocations, budgets and legal compliance.
Autumn Harper, speaking as a parent and an advocate for students with disabilities, told the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System board the district faces "systematic failures" in special education that leave students with inconsistent services and staff with untenable workloads.
"Some occupational therapists are carrying caseloads as high as a 160 students. Some speech and language providers are carrying caseloads as high as a 195 students," Harper said, adding that some case managers handle 30 or more students while other schools have significantly smaller caseloads and stronger staffing supports.
Harper described wide variation in how long families wait for behavioral supports and gave a specific example in which a school requested behavior support in August 2025 and did not receive it until April 2026. "This currently there is currently a child who school requested behavior support in August 2025 but that support was not received until April 2026," she said, and urged a districtwide review of special-education staffing, budget allocations, compensation and service delivery.
She asked the board whether members regularly visit the schools they represent and urged that the board observe classroom staffing and service delivery "not through filtered presentations" but firsthand. Harper asked the board to ensure students receive equitable and legally compliant services regardless of which school they attend.
The board did not take immediate policy votes on Harper's recommendations during the meeting; board members discussed reviewing policies and staff handbooks in later remarks and noted the need to examine both student- and staff-facing policies.
Harper's remarks included specific requests for a comprehensive review; she also called for increased accountability from special-education leadership and more responsive communications with families.
The meeting record does not show the board committing to a specific timeline for such a review during this session.
