School districts present special education conference
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Five school districts in Colorado Springs collaborated to offer a conference and resource fair to families and caregivers of students receiving special education services on Saturday, April 5.
The event, designed to connect caregivers with essential community resources, was hosted by the Special Education Advisory Committee of Harrison School District 2, Widefield School District 3, Fountain-Fort Carson District 8, Colorado Springs School District 11, and Academy District 20, at Sierra High School.
The theme was 'Together We Thrive,' and the event featured expert speakers giving valuable insights to caregivers into navigating special education and how to advocate for their children.
Middle and high school children had the opportunity to participate in specialized workshops, featuring a presentation on self-directed Individualzed Education Programs (IEP).
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Baltimore County school speech pathologists say they are overworked, failing to meet student needs
Last spring's school assignment was a sea change for Gail Vanderbeek, a veteran Baltimore County Public Schools speech-language pathologist. Instead of being responsible for one school's speech difficulties and communication skills, she would now have an additional school to serve. That meant more paperwork, meetings, and — critically — additional students, some of whom require one-on-one instruction. Vanderbeek worries that, as a result, some of these children are falling through the cracks. Speech-language pathologists work with students who have a range of communication issues, which can include speech, voice, language and cognition impairments. These students require individualized instruction to meet their academic needs. And, as Baltimore County Public Schools' SLPs feel the squeeze of greater demands, the district risks losing providers and students to the private sector. 'This has been the most challenging year in my 33-year career,' Vanderbeek, a speech-language pathologist at both Gunpowder and Victory Villa elementary schools, told school board members last month. 'The workload that we have been given is not manageable. And the conditions we are working under will not keep or attract skilled speech pathologists to serve our students.' An American Speech-Language-Hearing Association national survey of SLPs working in schools found that the median caseload was 50 students a month, but but that SLPs generally believed 40 to be manageable. A separate January survey conducted by the SLP Educators Council and the Teachers Association of Baltimore County found that more than 60% of the surveyed county SLPs have caseloads between 61 to 100 students. Maryland's average caseload is 49, according to ASHA. Nearly 70% said they are unsatisfied with staffing allocations at their schools. Roughly half said said they had completed some of the key compliance requirements they're responsible for in only zero to 20% of their cases. Workload, distinct from caseload, refers to everything speech-language pathologists do for students, including planning and ensuring compliance with students' individualized education plans (IEPs). Caseload refers to the number of students receiving services from one provider. The IEPs are legally binding documents for how to meet the needs and educational goals of a child with a disability. 'Our students are missing legally mandated therapy and consultative services, while we are also asked to assess, case manage, attend IEP teams and document our services appropriately,' Vanderbeek told the board. About a quarter of the providers surveyed by ASHA believed that the single biggest barrier to having a manageable caseload was a shortage of local speech-language pathologists. 'I don't think it's necessarily a shortage of SLPs, period. I think it's … the school districts … at least in Maryland, making [working in schools] unappealing,' said Kathryn Chib, owner of special education advocacy company Beacon Education Solutions. Some of her Baltimore County Public Schools clients are now receiving only partial speech-language pathology services, not fully complying with their IEPs, she said. 'These people that do this service are wonderful, and they do their best to let parents know that it's too much for them,' Chib said. 'And they're being forced to go to more than one or two schools, and so they can't do their best for the child.' About five of Chib's 10 to 15 Baltimore County Public Schools clients are reporting issues with their speech-language pathology services, such as a very young, nonverbal child being given virtual-only services, which Chib called 'inappropriate.' Parents have told her that IEPs are not being fully met, with students receiving services only partially fulfilling the plans' requirements, such as not getting the correct number or frequency of sessions. A BCPS speech-language pathologist reached out through one of Chib's clients at the beginning of the year to ask her if she could advocate district-wide for them because of the caseload problem, she said. 'SLPs are leaving the school-based practices because their caseloads are so big, and they have a lot of success opening private practices,' Chib said. For many speech-language pathologists, private practice offers smaller caseloads without the time and stress expended to complete required IEP documentation and meetings. Samara Shalom, owner of Pikesville private speech-language pathology practice Speech Leap and a speech-language pathologist for more than 10 years, said she has many clients who receive services from Baltimore County Public Schools but still seek help from private practitioners. 'It's the IEPs. More than anything else, the write-up process and then also the burden of the caseload,' Shalom said of what mainly drives providers into the private sector. The average caseload for a full-time speech-language pathologist in her practice was about 28, she said. In private practice, speech-language pathologists can address students' needs more holistically, including those needs not provided for in students' IEPs because they don't affect them in school, she said. Some parents also seek out private services for their children because they no longer want to deal with the constraints of the school system, according to Shalom. 'Parents are also just sometimes tired of fighting the IEP battle because it's a lot,' Shalom said. 'It's not coming from the therapist, it's coming from outside. But the parents [are] still very challenged trying to advocate for their kid getting the services they need.' Superintendent Myriam Rogers said last month at a news conference that the district is continuing to hire speech-language pathologists, with no cuts planned for them in the current or upcoming fiscal year. To respond to their concerns earlier this school year, Rogers said the district assembled a group of speech-language pathologists, their union representatives and special education leadership from the school system. The group, which has met almost monthly, helped decide whether a student gets a virtual or in-person speech-language pathologist, according to the superintendent. 'As a result of this collaborative work, the SLP workload plan for FY26 has a differentiated model for schools with regional programs and schools that do not. This results in increased allocation to buildings which in turn reduces the workload for the assigned providers,' district spokesperson Gboyinde Onijala said in an email Friday. Students getting virtual services also have a live facilitator with them, Rogers said. 'When we look at compliance due to assessments, we don't see where … assessments from speech and language pathologists are causing us to be unable to move forward with implementing individualized education plans for our students,' Rogers said. 'All of what I'm sharing with you does in no way [negate] the fact that speech and language pathologists are feeling that there is a whole lot of work to do. We certainly recognize that, which is why we stood up this group to collaborate.' Speech-language pathologists could have follow-up meetings after receiving their assignments for next year to address any concerns, Rogers said. Only about 40 out of over 200 took those meetings, she said. 'BCPS has 122.7 positions for school based SLP services. We continue to supplement BCPS providers with contractual providers as needed and employ both full time and part providers,' Onijala said. 'School-based allocations are calculated based on direct and indirect service needs of students, we also include the need for planning time, assessment, IEP team, and lunch.' Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@ 443-813-0770 or on X as @rzbworks.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Yahoo
Why South-Western City Schools parents are considering leaving the district
GROVE CITY, Ohio (WCMH) — The South Western City School board said joining conservative advisory groups welcomed diverse perspectives to the district. Many parents disagree. Parents said they were concerned about the conservative policies of the National School Board Leadership Council, one of four advisory groups the board joined on April 28. Although it was one of several conservatively aligned groups the board joined, parents were especially concerned about the NSBLC and said the decision to join groups like it could contribute to them voting against future levies or even leaving the district. The NSBLC's website says it encourages districts to remove 'learning-challenged' students from general education classrooms, promote competition between public schools and charter or private options, and that non-English speaking students are an 'unacceptable cost to taxpayers.' Tiffany Cheney has a daughter in South Western schools with an individualized learning plan, or IEP, for two language disorder diagnoses, and said she is 'looking to flee' the district because of the board's actions. OSU researcher: $700K grant canceled when DOGE misunderstood use of 'climate' 'To hear that our current school board sees my smart, creative and intelligent daughter as a waste of resources, or should be considered to be segregated due to her uniqueness is not only disheartening but many steps back in an equal rights climate,' Cheney said. NBC4 spoke with more than a dozen parents, and only one of whom said joining the group was a positive move. A high schooler with autism has gathered nearly 400 signatures on a petition to stop the district from joining the NSBLC. A school board candidate and parent to a student with an IEP, Chelsea Alkire, used to teach English as a second language in the district and thought joining the NSBLC was 'like a slap in the face.' 'I was honestly between shocked and one of the highest levels of frustrated and angered I had ever been,' Alkire said. School board member Denise D'Angelo and board President Chris Boso addressed public concerns. They said nothing has changed under the new membership and that the district already separates students based on what is best for their learning and approve an English-only curriculum. Both said joining the NSBLC and other groups like it provides increased diversity of thought for the school board, and Boso warned the 'noise' and 'hysteria' would harm the district. 'If our finances don't go the way they should, we're going to be going for a levy and the people in this community are going to hear all this going on and they're not going to vote for a levy,' Boso said. City of Columbus asks court to dismiss cyber lawsuits Boso was referring to the current Ohio budget plan, which reduces funding for public schools. Board members said the state's plan would cost the district $150 million. As Boso addressed community members, several yelled over him that it would be the board's fault if a levy failed. 'Calling individuals who disagree with him as 'hysterical' is rude, impolite and shortsighted,' said Kelly Dillon, parent to two district high schoolers. 'How are we supposed to help our children understand civic engagement and 'American exceptionalism' if we do not participate in the process?' Parents acknowledged the state's funding changes would put the board in a hard position but worried people would vote against a levy because of the board. Graduates and parents like Kyra Paul, who has two young children in the district, said she would vote in favor because she remembered attending schools under a failed levy. However, she thought she'd be in the minority. 'If they put a levy on the ballot, I know that said levy will not pass because our community members and stakeholders believe that the board is not being good stewards of our money, and they are not making good decisions,' Paul said. Anthony Wilson has two students at district schools and said both will attend a new school in the fall, one of several parents who told NBC4 they may leave the district. Tessa Schwabeland said her son will be a freshman in a district high school this fall, but she worries about his IEP and how the decision to join the NSBLC will make students with different learning plans feel. 'None of us want to leave our public schools. We want to trust them,' Schwabeland said. 'But if leadership prioritizes ideology over inclusion, families will walk away not because they want to, but because they feel they have no choice.' Why the Short North may soon charge extra for dining, shopping Not all parents disagree with the decision. Parent Robing Gorrell said she was worried about what she had seen at school and thought joining the NSBLC was a good step. 'I am pleased with the board's decision,' Gorrell said. 'My kids are going to school to learn — reading, writing, math … not figure out their gender with unsolicited pushing or figure out whom they want to have sex with, being made to feel weird/different for being straight.' Spokesperson Evan Debo said joining the groups does not mean the district will make changes. He said the district has no plans to discontinue the English program serving students of more than 81 languages. Debo also said the district received the state's highest designation for special education. 'There have been no cuts or program eliminations proposed or voted on to eliminate parts of the academic infrastructure, resources or continuity of programming we currently have in place,' Debo said. 'SWCS remains resolute in its unwavering commitment to providing a high-quality education for the 21,000 students we serve annually.' Overwhelmingly, however, parents told NBC4 they disagreed with the decision. 'I am so disappointed in SWCSD,' parent Savanna McCoy said. 'I would think that they'd want to stay away from an advisory board with such extreme ideals and beliefs. … I'm not proud to have my son in this district at all.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
U.S. Dept. of Education says special education funds untouched in reduction process
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building in Washington, D.C., pictured on Nov. 25, 2024. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom) Before a federal judge temporarily halted the dissolution of the agency Thursday, the U.S. Department of Education ensured 'uninterrupted services' to children and youth with disabilities, in response to probing questions by U.S. Senators from Virginia and other states about the future of special education. The questions, spearheaded by Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware in a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, came after President Donald Trump and his administration launched efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. A key point of concern for the lawmakers was the one-month freeze on investigations into discrimination complaints that left a backlog of 12,000 complaints, 'half of which involve students with disabilities,' Democratic U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia and 20 of their colleagues wrote. The agency's plans are of particular significance for Virginia, where a federal investigation found that the Virginia Department of Education failed to meet federal requirements to help resolve disputes involving students with disabilities beginning in 2019. In December 2024, the investigation ended after the Office of Special Education Programs wrote in a letter that all of its findings and required actions for the agency were closed. Virginia was responsible for nearly 186,000 students with disabilities this past school year, an increase of almost 5,000 students from the 2023-24 academic period. As federal law requires, Virginia must provide all students with disabilities a 'free and appropriate public education' through personalized plans under the Individualized Education Program (IEP). Facing special ed teacher shortage, Va. education board votes to expand educator pipeline Sarah Ursprung, acting assistant secretary for legislation and congressional affairs for the federal department, wrote to lawmakers in April that no formula funding to states, including Title I and IDEA, was cut, and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) continues its enforcement work with a reduced workforce and the same commitment to vigorous vindication of students' civil rights. 'The department remains committed to ensuring uninterrupted services to meet the needs and develop the potential of children and youth with disabilities pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),' Ursprung wrote in a letter provided to the Mercury. The senators' letter also highlighted their reservations about limited staff at the agency. U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine from Virginia signed Rochester's letter in April that said the cuts would have 'immense harm' to all students. 'While we appreciate receiving a response from the Department of Education, we still have serious concerns about how the department can ensure services for students with disabilities aren't interrupted when Secretary McMahon has already reduced staff by nearly 50% and said she intends to close the department,' the senators wrote. Ursprung said that no employees in the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the Rehabilitation Services Administration or the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) were subject to the staff cuts on March 11. Employees involved in policy and administrative functions, whose duties the agency said can be reassigned or eliminated, were the ones subject to firing. NCSER-supported research continues with obligated funds, according to Ursprung. The research center helps experts understand more about children who have or may have disabilities by studying them from infancy through college. The trajectory of the federal education department, and the fallout in Virginia, remains uncertain, after the Massachusetts federal judge paused its dismantling and ordered the Trump administration to reinstate over 1,300 employees. The department is expected to appeal the decision. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX