LS School Committee hears special-education enrollment up 2 percent since 2021

SUDBURY — November 21, 2023 — LS student services director reports IEP rate up 2 percent post-pandemic, with SLD identifications driving growth. Director of Student Services Richard Whitehead told the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee on Nov. 21 that the district's IEP rate rose from 18.8 percent in 2021 to about 20.8 percent in 2023-24, with the current 11th grade at 22.4 percent. Out-of-district placements climbed from 54 to 60 over four years, with 10 incoming ninth graders already outplaced — against a typical three or four. Director of Counseling and Student Support Martha Wall said 504 plans continue a "fairly persistent gradual increase," echoing a statewide pattern: "Kids have more needs. They're not rising to the level of an IEP, but man, they're still struggling." DESE will conduct a tiered focus monitoring review in April 2024, and Lincoln-Sudbury will adopt the new statewide IEP document — the largest revision in 20 years — in September 2024.