Springfield school leaders propose public day school to serve students with intensive autism needs

Dr. Marica McCarthy, the district’s chief of exceptional learners, told the school committee on May 20 that Springfield Public Schools has seen dramatic growth in students who need intensive autism‑specific services and is proposing a public day school to keep those placements in‑district. "We have seen a 353% growth" in students needing links (autism) programming since 2013, McCarthy said, and continued expansion has strained classroom space across school buildings.

McCarthy described a plan to develop a public day school at the Chestnut campus that would eventually serve up to 200 students, kindergarten through grade 12, whose Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) indicate they require a highly structured, intensive instructional setting. The proposed model would use instructional approaches aligned to Massachusetts standards and include applied behavior analysis methods, structured teaching models and visual supports. "If they can’t learn the way we teach, we teach the way they learn," McCarthy said, quoting a founder of ABA to summarize the approach.

The district said the immediate need is for roughly 19 additional classrooms; typical intensive 'links' classrooms run about six students with one licensed teacher and two paraprofessionals, plus related services such as speech and occupational therapy. McCarthy said staffing—and recruiting licensed special‑education teachers and paraprofessionals—represents the biggest near‑term obstacle. She said the district has begun outreach to local colleges and community networks to identify candidates and will offer training pathways and in‑district supports to build capacity.

Committee members asked about family engagement, language supports for multilingual learners placed out of district, and how placements would interface with existing school‑based programs. McCarthy emphasized the public day school would not replace school‑based links classrooms; instead, it would offer an additional, more restrictive option for students whose IEP teams determine they require a public‑day placement. She said parents would need to agree to a public day school placement; no student would be moved involuntarily.

McCarthy said district leaders are working on an application and plan with state education officials and are aiming to open initial classrooms for the coming school year; she cautioned timelines depend on hiring and final approvals. The committee did not vote on the proposal at the meeting; McCarthy concluded by asking for continued support and additional outreach to recruit staff and to prepare families for the change.

The proposal drew detailed questions about transportation, translation services and the scarcity of out‑of‑district multilingual supports; McCarthy said the district is pursuing targeted solutions and will present further details in subsequent meetings.

Next steps: the district will continue family outreach, finalize an application with the state, recruit staff and seek site readiness at the Chestnut campus. The committee asked staff to return with specifics on projected classroom openings, staffing plans and a clear timeline.