As of last week, the Board of Education within Frederick County Public Schools suddenly eliminated a drastic and unsettling amount of SEIA positions in our schools countywide. This cut was made with no written or verbal forewarning, no explanation besides a “formula” that determined this decision, and no staffing plan presented for the 2019-2020 school year.

According to Superintendent Dr. Terry Alban, the 2018-2019 school year “had 740 SEIAs working for FCPS; there were 599 Full Time Benefited SEIAs and 140 Temporary Non-Benefited SEIAs.” She also stated “as the end of the school year, we ‘excess’ the temporary SEIAs. As a temporary employee, there is no guarantee of ongoing employment. However, the reality is that many of these temporary employees will move into Full Time Benefited positions next year. We do a systemic review before we know who will be hired and where they go.” That’s a 23% decrease in headcount of supporting staff heading into the fall of 2019.

Yes, Temporary Non-Benefited SEIAs were “excessed” as promised by Superintendent Dr. Terry Alban IN ADDITION to many schools eliminating many of their Full-Time Benefited SEIAs too. For many schools, the SEIA positons were literally cut in half. Superintendent Alban stated that “we are examining the IEP requirements for students. How many require the support of an SEIA? How many are transitioning and no longer require that support? How many are moving to a school that already has that support available. We are also looking at the places where some of our programs will go.” Interesting enough is these SEIA cuts were made BEFORE IEPs were finalized for this school year.

 

What is a SEIA and what do they do?

SEIAs are Special Education Instructional Aides and they assist with the supervision, care and instruction of special needs children in the general education classroom. They monitor students throughout the school day to ensure a safe and positive learning environment. They help special needs children gain their own independence, rather than develop reliance on others. SEIAs are vital members in education for everyone’s success in the school environment.

Here are examples of how SEIAs help in the classroom. They provide:

·         Assistance to students with toileting and self-care issues

·         Visual support and help with assistive technology

·         Supervision during lunch to help children with eating disorders/problems

·         Help for children with sensory processing issues (ie. calming them during a loud fire drill or actively taking them to an alternative calming space or sensory room to deescalate)

·         Modifications to classroom activities and materials that support the child and their IEP (Individual Education Plan)

·         Assistance to teachers by obtaining data for evaluating progress and/or implementing IEP objectives

·         Redirection to children exhibiting behavior issues

·         Provide and implement a reward system for motivating a child

·         Mediation for social interaction with “typical” students in the classroom

·         Safety and supervision to children that elope (run away or hide)

·         Supervision and assistance to transition the student to different classrooms, in the hallways, to the school nurse, etc

 

Why is SEIA support so critical?

In our FCPS classrooms, the ratio of teachers to student is 1:24.8 (from an approved FCPS formula). For classrooms that are inclusive to a special needs child, they are allocated an SEIA according to the child’s 504 or IEP.

With the shortage of SEIAs in the ecosystem of the school, teachers will be required to offer more coverage in their classroom. The REALITY is that one teacher cannot be held accountable for providing individualized support to special needs children in her classroom IN ADDITION to giving general instructional time for the remainder of the class. That situation is catastrophic, illegal, is a tremendous safety issue for ALL students both special needs and typical. It’s a situation set for failure.

Here are some examples that could happen without an SEIA:

·         Some children with autism are elopers (runners).   A teacher with limited support staff has two choices: leave 25 kids alone in a classroom to chase the child or call for help.   In the time between waiting for help to arrive, that child can put himself in severe danger.

·         During evacuations (fire drills, intruder, weather), some students need to be accounted for (written into their IEPs). Without enough SEIAs, these children will be neglected.

·         Some children exhibit aggressive behavior like chair throwing, hitting and punching. SEIAs provide extra support to move the other children to a safe area when these incidents happen so the child or other people are not hurt. They are trained to deter the behavior and deescalate it if it should arise.

 

We need our SEIA’s!

They are critical in the success of ALL children and an extremely valuable member in the school system. If they continue to “excess” SEIAs, the lack of support will have a domino effect on the entire educational system; special needs children will regress and suffer, typical children will receive less classroom attention, and teachers will be overworked. And more importantly, the health and safety of everyone in the school system will be at jeopardy.

Our Plea

SEIAs are critical and essential staff in the school system. The sudden elimination of these essential resources without a defined plan from administration for fall of 2019 is reckless and irresponsible. It has caused havoc and panic to all SEIAs, teachers, school staff, the special needs community, and families with children attending FCPS. Instead of assessing the individual needs of our children first, administration made the rash, preemptive decision to cut staff first. A representative from the Board of Education stated that once they sort out which schools need more SEIA support, they will hire more as needed based on an IEP team determination and Principal recommendation. Is a reactive approach the best practice for our children’s education?

With this being said, Superintendent Dr. Terry Alban offered comforting words; “There have been no budget cuts in special education this year.  In fact, the budget for special education has increased.  The excessing that is occurring right now is a normal part of the process we use to prepare for the next school year.”

If you feel strongly about the safety and well-being of ALL students in FCPS, we encourage you to contact the Board of Education to request their course of action and staffing formulas for the 2019-2020 school year.  Please consider our plea for help and consideration in overriding this decision that will have lasting consequences for teachers, SEIAs, special needs AND typical children, and families in FCPS!

 

Board of Education contacts:

Superintendent, Dr. Terry Alban  

Email: superintendent@fcps.org   phone:  (301) 696-6910

Director of Instruction and Student Performance, Michelle Concepcion

Email:  michelle.concepcion@fcps.org  phone: (301) 644-5281

Executive Director, Accelerating Achievement and Equity Department, Dr. Keith Harris

Email: keith.harris@fcps.org   phone: (301) 644-5270