Clayton-Tarvin Speaks on Importance of SPED Services

Huntington Beach, CA-Last night, our board of trustees heard multiple reports from our esteemed staff, and the most important report in my opinion was that from the Special Education Department. Back in 2019, the Board requested and commissioned a Study Overview. Chileen Spaulding, Director of Special Education, provided a presentation on a study that was conducted to evaluate special education services in OVSD. Many stakeholders were interviewed including teachers, staff, administrators, students, parents, even me, as president of the board in 2020. When the pandemic struck, the interviews went virtual, but continued on. The results were presented to us and we all made our voices heard on the important matter. Although OVSD has high SPED costs, the cost of not providing the best possible services to our most sensitive students can be devastating. All students have the right to a stellar public school experience. Our special needs students are our pride and joy and we must vigorously advocate for them. The Special Education Department is working to address the study recommendations and provide for our kids. Support programs include Student Study Teams (SST), Response to Intervention and Instruction (RTI2), and Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). I’m proud of our ongoing work and will continue my steadfast advocacy for our special needs students.