boardman schools Students who need services decrease
By ELISE McKEOWN SKOLNICK
BOARDMAN
The number of students receiving special education services in the school district is down from about 700 last year to 676 this year, Jack Zocolo, coordinator of special education/student services, told board of education members Monday.
“But each week it changes,” Zocolo said.
Of the 676 students needing services, 619 receive them within the district.
The district provides a wide array of services, Zocolo said. Included are occupational, speech and physical therapies, sign language interpreting, Braille, nursing and medical services, psychological and counseling services, special transportation, adaptive physical education and more.
New this year is a service at Lockwood Preschool for hearing impaired preschool students.
“I’m very happy with this,” Zocolo said. “It’s a pretty impressive program.”
Zocolo also discussed the increased use of technology in the district, both with special needs students and the general population.
“This has been kind of a pet project of my own,” he said.
The district has started using MacBooks, he said, and has created two iPad labs.
Zocolo has purchased 130 apps for use with the iPads and expects to purchase more.
Students with educational and communication difficulties and delays are using them, he said. The apps are also being used for speech therapy, diagnostics and more.
At the meeting, Richard Santilli, treasurer, announced that the district received an award from the auditor of state for filing a timely and clean audit. A clean audit report means the district’s financial audit did not contain findings for recovery, significant deficiencies or questions of process.
“It takes a whole staff to be able to do this each year,” he said. “It’s just not a small feat to do this. It takes a full staff, a great effort.”