A long-term effort to expand special education services within Excelsior Springs schools aims to reduce the district’s reliance on out-of-district placements while providing more students with services closer to home.

Assistant Superintendent of Student Services Dr. Christen Everett recently presented the district’s Special Education Program Evaluation to the Board of Education, reviewing current program strengths, areas for improvement and a long-term plan to expand in-district programming while reducing reliance on out-of-district placements.

The district served 323 school-age students with individualized education programs during the 202425 school year, representing 12.83% of district enrollment. An additional 21 students received early childhood special education services.

Specific learning disability remained the district’s largest disability category, followed by other health impairment and autism. Everett explained the district’s overall identification rate was in line with the sta…