Dauphin, PA: "Explosive growth in autism classes"; 8 classes to 28 in 4 yrs

June 11, 2025, Penn Live: Explosive growth in autism classes has Central Dauphin rethinking special ed services 

Teachers, staff and parents blasted a proposed reordering of some special education services at Central Dauphin School District on Monday night.

Afterward, Central Dauphin Superintendent Eric Turman said he is willing to meet privately with the critics about their concerns.

But, Turman said, he will also want them to hear his views about why he sees the changes as necessary — one of which is that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find good candidates to fill the ever-expanding need for special education aides.

The plan

The change eliminates 35 existing learning support aide positions at Central Dauphin’s four middle schools and two high schools.

At present, the aides in question are available to float to different regular education classrooms throughout the day to help meet specific needs for special education students, such as offering a read-aloud test for a child whose Individualized Education Plan calls for it.

Turman’s plan calls for eliminating the roving aides—of which there are now about six in each school—and replacing them with a single “resource room” in each school where students could go to receive the services. . . .

Turman presented stats showing that Central Dauphin has gone from having eight elementary-level Autism Support classrooms in 2021 to a projected 28 in 2025-26.

According to Central Dauphin’s website, the district is currently looking to fill 18 new aide slots in that role alone for the 2025-26 school year.

Middle school teachers, staff and parents were unmoved Monday night and blasted Turman for what they argued was a callous unveiling of the plan on the next-to-last day of school.

Nine speakers in all called for scrapping Turman’s plan; no one stepped up to support it. . . .

Central Dauphin Superintendent Eric Turman saw a proposed reordering of some secondary level special education services bashed by parents and staff Monday night. May 20, 2024.

The law

Public school districts are, by law, supposed to teach special needs students in the least restrictive environment and make reasonable accommodations to aid in that effort.

For many students, that means aiming for 80 percent or more of the school day spent in a regular classroom setting.

In 2022-23, the most recent year for which data was immediately available, Central Dauphin reported hitting that target with 55 percent of 2,236 special needs pupils.

The learning support aides are a key cog in that effort.

“I know many of my learning support students do not feel comfortable being called out in a classroom. So they know that they have that safe person that they can go to in the classroom, that paraprofessional, if they need help,” Central Dauphin Middle School teacher Jessica Howard told the board Monday night.

“My heart breaks for the paraprofessionals who were let go without saying a proper goodbye to our students. My heart breaks for the students who will no longer have those ‘safe people’ in classes.”

But Turman said the district is seeing an explosion in students with more intense needs in the elementary grades.

He’s worried the district won’t get enough qualified candidates to serve many of those most needy students, who may need a personal aide for the entire day.

Moving to a resource room model at the middle and high schools, he believes, could help free an already well-qualified pool to help.

Turman stressed the change will not touch existing services for middle and secondary students who are already in the district’s specialized classrooms, such as autism support, emotional support, life skills, or those with multiple disabilities.

Most of the students in those classifications spend the majority of their days in special classes with more intense levels of aide support.

Those slots, Turman said, will remain.

But parents and staff speaking Monday said they don’t see how reducing the number of building aides in the secondary schools is anything but a cut to their students.

“The proposed plan to open a single resource room for an entire school cannot possibly replace the work of six paras,” said Brenna Tucker, a teacher at Central Dauphin East Middle School.

“A resource room cannot walk with a student to math or science. A room cannot build the same rapport, offer immediate support during a challenging moment, or help a student stay engaged in a general education setting... It’s a step backward for inclusion and equity.”

The special education changes are already baked into the district’s 2025-26 budget, which the school board is scheduled to take a final vote on June 23.

None of the board members PennLive reached after Monday night’s meeting were ready, at least publicly, to break with Turman’s proposal.

Turman said that while none of the affected employees are being furloughed, the district is still working out the process for their potential reassignment.

The Central Dauphin aides are part of a union for support staff, and Turman said his administration will be meeting with union leaders later this week to develop that process.