Watch the School Board meeting:
Rappahannock County School Board Meeting, April 9, 2024
‘Dire need for speech services’
The number of Rappahannock County students receiving special education services is climbing, a rise tied in part to the impact of the COVID pandemic.
The total amounts to 130 students – 20 more than last year and now almost 18% of the school district’s population, according to Dr. Carol Johnson, assistant superintendent for Rappahannock County Public Schools (RCPS).
“We’ve seen this moving upward the past couple of years since COVID,” she told the School Board during its monthly meeting Tuesday night. “That increase is not such a big surprise.”
Johnson shared the data while detailing the school district’s plan for using a federal special education grant.
The total includes eight students in private schools or being home-schooled for which RCPS must cover special education services required by federal law.
Johnson said the number of referrals for outside services has risen to 49, compared to 34 last year. Many of those referrals, she noted, are for speech therapists.
Dr. Carol Johnson
“We’ve been seeing very clear cut evidence of specific learning disabilities more so than in past years,” said Dr. Carol Johnson, assistant superintendent for Rappahannock County Public Schools, right. “And a lot has been driven by the mental health needs of students.”
“With the little ones coming in, we’re definitely seeing an impact from COVID,” she said, “We’re seeing a dire need for speech services to help bring those students up to the same level as their peers in their communication skills.”
“Our school district typically has a high percentage of students receiving special education services,” said School Board Chairman Wes Mills. “But one thing that helps me understand that, is that we’re paying very close attention to our students. While it seems like a large number, I think it’s because we have this attention to detail to try to help the best we can.”
“We’ve been seeing very clear cut evidence of specific learning disabilities more so than in past years,” Johnson said. “And a lot has been driven by the mental health needs of students.”
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RCPS Superintendent Dr. Shannon Grimsley pointed out, in an interview after the meeting, that behavioral issues were becoming more apparent even before the pandemic.
“We started seeing an uptick with the introduction of iPads and smartphones,” she said. “We’ve seen a lot of impulse control issues.
“The higher the need, the greater the demands, both in terms of staff personnel and budget,” she added. “The more need you have among your students, the more costly it is to educate them.”
