Chief Pupil Services Officer Clair Hogan detailed the results of a districtwide special education audit for the school board at the Jan. 7 curriculum meeting.

She said that of the approximate 2,400 special needs students in the district, recent efforts in expanded services have resulted in about 73 percent of them participating in mainstream general education courses much of every school day during the 2017-18 academic year.

Some of these services included co-teaching models that helped include every student in the classroom and collaborative instructors who work with the teachers to assist students with their special needs. Bethlehem schools are also equipped with various specialized therapists, such as speech therapists and psychiatrists, to offer both physical and emotional support.

The BASD was also commended for its full range and variety of individualized services provided to its students with special needs.

Although the audit revealed the department needs to expand mental health services and emotional support on all campuses, it allowed the department to organize some goals to better themselves for the next academic year.

However, the district did achieve a small milestone as the special education dropout rate fell from 22 percent to 13 percent this year. Hogan said it’s not where it should be, but it’s a good place to start.

According to Hogan, the special education program also plans to increase the number of Individualized Education Program students involved in extracurricular activities and to expand outreach and support to parents. The district also employs home visitors, including bilingual home visitors, to check in with families.

Superintendent of Curriculum Dr. Jack Silva later updated the committee on the Any Given Child program, which reinforces art education. The BASD is the 25th district in the country to be a part of this program.

The district plans on incorporating more art into the students’ lives by scheduling trips to the community’s local art venues, such as ArtsQuest, Touchstone Theater, the Zoellner Arts Center and the Banana Factory.

Each grade is assigned one art focus for the school year and will be taken to an appropriate venue at least once during the year. For example, kindergarten and first grade classes will focus on the movement of dance and will be taken to the Pennsylvania Youth Theater for dance classes.

Various artists will also be visiting the schools throughout the year to talk with the students.

Next, the committee discussed the status of BASD’s use of the smartphone application, Safe to Say Something.

This application allows students and teachers to anonymously inform local police stations of individuals whom are at risk of hurting themselves or others. It was created by the Sandy Hook Promise, a group acting against gun violence, and has effectively saved thousands of lives nationwide.

The district plans on teaching Safe to Say Something to students through interactive online videos. They hope to erase the stigma of being a “snitch” and encourage students to feel comfortable speaking to an adult about their concerns.

Lastly, Superintendent Joseph Roy said BASD’s new logo design can now be found on the 2018-19 BASD Viewbook, which is a new method of advertisement. The viewbook is modeled after many colleges and is a way to reach out to prospective parents with children in Pre-K.

Roy reported that there has been a positive response in the community and the district has reached out to various agencies and companies across Bethlehem to hand out the viewbook, such as the community center and the Banana Factory.

He said the main goal in terms of marketing is to use social media to increase a relationship with the community.

The committee further announced a contract between Donegan ES and the DaVinci Center for $17,500 to provide K-5 students with high quality educational after-school activities and will include a science fair.

The regular school board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 28 at East Hills MS.