The Syosset Board of Education reviewed recent enhancements to its special education department while planning next year’s updates at a meeting on Monday, May 12.
School district officials and board members said expanding the department has allowed a more diverse student population to enter the district, which has helped foster an inclusive and empathetic school culture.
“Our goal as a district, and a department, continues to be: creating a community where all students feel a sense of belonging and have access to education programs and supports that meet their unique needs,” said Erin Goldthwaite, assistant superintendent for pupil personnel services.
Goldthwaite said enhanced opportunities for diverse learners have affected the entire community by promoting student success and fostering an inclusive learning environment.
She said program expansions in recent years have allowed more students to be taught at Syosset instead of traveling to other districts for special education.
Superintendent Thomas Rogers said the district has seen an increased need for special education services in recent years.
“I think there is an overall trajectory of seeing more need in the student population, and I think that need deepened after COVID,” he said. He said the school will cater future expansions of the program to fit the unique needs of its students.
By expanding the special education department, more students are educated within Syosset than before, Goldthwaite said.
“Last year alone, we would’ve had upwards of 11 primary, elementary age students that would have [been] placed in out-of-district programming if we did not build capacity here in the district,” she said.
Goldwaithe said that, looking ahead, the district would have had up to eight kindergarteners in fall 2025 who would have been placed in out-of-district programs had these expansions not taken place.
Prior to 2022, she said it was standard for elementary classes to have 12 students lead by one teacher and two support staff, for middle school classes to have 15 students led by one teacher and one support staff and for high school classes to have either 15 students with one teacher or 12 students with one teacher and two support staff.
Goldthwaite said in the last three years, the district has “built options for student participation” within itself.
In the 2022-2023 school year, Goldthwaite said the district began implementing the Challenger and Unified basketball programs, which expanded extracurricular participation for students with disabilities. The Challenger program is for middle school students and the Unified program is for high schoolers.
In the 2023-2024 school year, Goldthwaite said the district expanded the extracurricular programming to include a Challenger track team, a Unified bowling team, and an adaptive softball clinic.
In terms of academics, she said the district implemented the RISE program at HBT Middle School, which stands for Reaching Independence through Supported Education. The program is a classroom option where 12 students are assisted by one teacher and two additional support staff, she said.
Goldthwaite said the district also added an administrator to its Committee for Preschool Special Education and acquired an additional social worker at each building to strengthen its administrative staff.
In the 2024-2025 school year, Goldthwaite said the district expanded its extracurricular programming to include Challenger Cheerleading, as well as Unity Tennis.
In terms of classroom supports, she said Village Elementary added a classroom where nine students are taught by one teacher and three support staff.
“Not only did we enhance the program options for students to be educated here, within the district, we also were able to extend the expertise of our staff in working with students with more intensive needs,” Goldthwaite said.
She said this school year, the school hired more special education staff, including a behavioral analyst and speech therapist.
Looking ahead to the 2025-2026 school year, Goldthwaite said Village Elementary will receive a classroom option where nine students will be led with one teacher and three support staff. Additionally, she said five psychologists will be hired at HBT Middle School.
The district is currently looking towards expanding its Challenger and Unified offerings next year, Goldthwaite said.
Stephanie Purcell, an administrator for preschool and elementary special education, said student success is built on an inclusive and interdisciplinary learning approach. Interdisciplinary learning fosters an understanding of one another’s differences and creates a culture of respect.
“Integrating students with diverse needs enhances all aspects of our school and community,” she said.
Village Elementary principal Sari McKeown said the expansion of the special education programming has increased students’ empathy, awareness, and inclusion.
“True inclusion means understanding students’ varied needs,” McKeown said.
However, Purcell said the special education program has more benefits than student success alone.
She said the program’s expansion has financial benefits, as the district will save money from sending students to other districts and earn revenue from receiving out-of-district enrollment. She said it also expands professional development opportunities for Syosset staff members, “which builds enhanced instruction and room for all students.”
School board Trustee Thomas Rotolo said keeping students within Syosset is a big advancement, as it may be overwhelming for young students to have to travel out of district every day.
“The fact that we are able to keep the children in-house is tremendous,” he said. “The fact that we’re able to integrate and make students feel like they belong is also life-changing.”
Trustee Lynn Abramson agreed that “the goal is community.”
Syosset administrators said the district is looking for further advancements to the program in the future. Rogers said future advancements depend on the needs of the district’s students, as the schools are currently seeing a “larger range of needs.”
“We are champions of inclusive practices,” Purcell said.
Read More: Syosset school board explores AI’s use in the classroom
