Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education members are calling for changes to how the district educates students with disabilities amid worsening outcomes.
The discussion came up at a meeting this week. District officials presented Exceptional Children (EC) data from the 2024-25 school year. Reading and math proficiency rates for all grade levels decreased.
And while last year’s data isn’t in yet, several board members said the downward trend merited rethinking the district’s inclusionary model, where EC students are taught in general education classrooms more often.
Board Member Trevonia Brown-Gaither said she frequently hears that this is challenging for teachers without specialized training or support staff.
“If I walk into a school, I'm getting people pulling me left and right, and I can see it for myself. A general ed class has a kindergarten kid that’s nonverbal, not potty trained, doesn't eat like the other kindergarteners, they're drinking from a bottle," she said. "And the teachers are at a wit's end.”
Board Member Leah Crowley said the inclusionary strategy was meant to include "push-in support."
"And that's what did not happen. And then compound that with staff reductions, where we let go a substantial amount of EC assistants, EC TAs," she said. "It's left a situation where the general population and the EC population is not being served."
Chief Academic Officer Paula Wilkins noted that EC students are instructed according to their Individualized Education Program, which is developed by a team of people. She also reiterated that this data is a year old, and said she'd work to pull more recent figures.
"I am not going to negate we have work to do," Wilkins said. "But I do want us to be able to look at the places we have made progress and the work to be done."
Board members said they want to continue this conversation in the future.