The Warsaw School Board recognized Joel Wihebrink, of Wihebrink Landscape Management, Monday. Photo by Jackie Gorski, Times-Union

By Jackie Gorski
Times-Union

WARSAW — Approximately 16% of secondary school students at Warsaw Community Schools are receiving some sort of special services.

Bill Burr, secondary special services coordinator, told the Warsaw School Board Monday, Feb. 26, the purpose of the Special Services Department is to foster an inclusive environment where every student and staff member thrives by providing proactive and responsive support that equips all stakeholders for success.

There are 11 eligibility areas for special education. They are autism spectrum disorder, blind/low vision, cognitive disability, deaf or hard of hearing, emotional disability, language or speech impairment, multiple disabilities, other health impairment, orthopedic impairment, specific learning disability and traumatic brain injury.

As far as numbers go, there are a total of 3,219 students at Lakeview and Edgewood middle schools and Warsaw Community High School combined. Of those students, 512 student receive some sort of special services, which is 15.9% of the secondary student population. Of those 512 students, 94 are at Edgewood, 94 are at Lakeview and 324 are at the high school.

There are 21 special education teachers, three special language pathologists, five mental health therapists, five occupational therapists or assistants, three school psychologists, two physical therapists or assistants, one blind/low vision teacher, one deaf/hard of hearing teacher and one autism consultant.

For those receiving special services, student participation in regular education range from less than 40% to 80% or more of their school day, Burr said.

Students with autism, ranging from mild to moderate, verbal to nonverbal, participate in a full self-contained setting and/or regular education. Students with significant medical, cognitive and physical disabilities and spend 40% or less of their school day in the regular education setting work on life and functional skills, behavioral regulation, social skills and job readiness training; academically, they are completing classes in applied credits.

Students may be pursuing a Core 40 diploma, a general Certificate of Completion or an alternative diploma. Students are provided community-based learning experiences throughout the year.

In other business, the board:

• Heard an announcement about graduation. Everyone is getting eight tickets for the graduation May 31. Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert said the graduation is planned for outdoors at 7 p.m. at Fisher Field within the WCHS Tiger Athletic Complex. If graduation needs to be moved inside, it is planned to make an announcement 48 hours in advance.

• Approved the following grants: $300,000 for child care services, Kosciusko County Community Foundation; $2,471 for the Warsaw Community High School Performing Arts Center, Warsaw PAC Endowment Fund; and $1,782 for the WCHS Choral Department, the Margaret Ann Voirol Memorial Endowment Fund.

More information on the child care services grant is expected.

• Learned from Chief Financial Officer April Fitterling those who qualified for the Early Literacy Achievement Grant will receive a $351 stipend in Wednesday’s pay.

• Heard there was a fire at the PAC. Hoffert said it was from a spontaneous combustion from some rags. The sprinklers came on in that particular area and Hoffert said everything worked the way it was supposed to.

• Recognized Joel Wihebrink from Wihebrink Landscape Management.

Hoffert said WCS tries to find mutual ways where WCS and community organizations can help each other out. Wihebrink said, for the past 10 years, WLM has had employees work as custodial/janitorial and project-based staff during their off-season. Currently, Wihebrink said he is able to provide 40 hours of employment 52 weeks a year to 25 employees and hasn’t laid anyone off in 10 years due to the partnership with WCS.

• Heard a presentation about some of the experiences Gateway students have had this year, including going to the Indiana State Fair.

• Recognized Brad Johnson for five years of service on the board.