LYNN — Following an impassioned testimony from the school district’s head physical therapist about the challenges her department faces from the current pre-kindergarten model, the Lynn School Committee voted Thursday to change the program.
The panel’s unanimous decision changes the early childhood program’s model back to a five-day, half-day schedule for next school year, where students would attend either A.M. or P.M. classes every weekday. With the current two/three-day split schedule, students have a full day of classes two to three days a week.
The change was welcome news for Joanne Gaines Dupree, head of the Lynn Public Schools physical therapy department, who told the committee the district’s decision to switch to a two/three-day split three years ago has made it significantly more difficult for her staff to provide direct services to the program’s special education students.
While Gaines Dupree said her former department head said the change was made to lower transportation costs and open up more slots for students in the program, it’s actually resulted in more traveling to schools for therapists and there are still not enough slots to meet the demand of preschool referrals.
“I don’t know what you effectively wanted to accomplish by going to a two/three day split instead of just reducing the transportation costs,” said Gaines Dupree. “It does not benefit the students.”
Fewer days in the classroom, coupled with a lack of attendance due to an illness, could lead to a special education student going a week without occupational and physical therapy services required by their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), Gaines Dupree said.
“OT/PT scheduling has literally become a nightmare for preschool students entering the program during the school year,” said Gaines Dupree. “Given the two/three day program, a therapist could travel to four or five schools a day and that’s true. That’s a reality for a two/three-day split.”
In addition, Gaines Dupree said the split schedule has made it difficult for pre-K students to develop routines and understand classroom expectations because of their lack of consecutive days in the classroom. This keeps them from receiving consistent specialized instruction that is aimed at improving their physical, emotional, cognitive and communicative development, she said.
Although the school administrators noted that the change to a five-day, half-day model would result in a $165,000 increase in transportation costs to the district, Superintendent Dr. Patrick Tutwiler said that was not impacting their opinion on the program structure.
“We just want to make clear from a school department standpoint that there is a cost savings, but our primary responsibility is for the outcomes and experiences of young people, so that’s not even on my radar,” said Tutwiler. “We’ve also been clear that there are pros and cons to either. This administration doesn’t feel strongly about keeping the two-day/three-day program.”
Last month, several School Committee members spoke favorably about a change to a five-day model, arguing that it would provide more consistency for students, and that in contrast, the current split creates a long day for a 3-year-old, the starting age for special education students.
However, Phylitia Jamerson, the district’s administrator of special education, said a half-day model would create more breaks in the school day, such as breakfast and gym, and would therefore allow for less direct service time to students during the day.
By law, the school district is mandated to serve 3-5-year-olds who are eligible for special education, but Lynn Public Schools is not required to serve regular education students, who aren’t eligible to start pre-K until age 4. Regular education slots are determined by a lottery.
