Lehighton Area School District is moving to expand its emotional support services at the elementary level, aiming to create a comprehensive “continuum of services” that allows more students to remain in their home district rather than being sent to outside placements.

Administrators on Monday night proposed opening a second emotional support classroom at the elementary center by April. The expansion is driven by a growing student population and an increasing need for specialized behavioral and emotional interventions.

“A little over a year ago, I presented to the school board the desire to open an emotional support program at our elementary center, and to start that program, we concentrated on the more primary grade students, because that’s where we have a larger area of need,” Sandra Michalik, director of student services, said. “But because our population is growing, I’m again coming to you this time to ask to increase the continuum.”

The district currently operates one classroom for kindergarten through second grade, which serves nine students with a staff including a teacher, a behavior technician, and a behavior interventionist. The new plan would add a second classroom to support students as they advance in grade levels.

By establishing this program, officials said, the district can offer a full range of support—from itinerant services, where students spend most of their time in regular education, to full-time special education settings. Without these internal options, the district is often forced to utilize out-of-district placements.

“If we were to encompass students in all grades at the elementary center for emotional support services within our school building, we would have a full emotional support continuum across the district,” Michalik said.

Data shared with the committee indicated a steady increase in the special education population. Students identified as having emotional disturbances now make up approximately 7% of the total enrollment. When questioned about the cause of the increase, administrators cited improved identification processes and a shift in student needs.

“Students are becoming a lot more needy with medical needs, with diagnoses,” Michalik added. “We do have students who’ve had childhood trauma, and we have students with actual diagnoses. So I think the populations are growing. I think perhaps students are changing, but also we are getting better at identifying students as well, and that is our legal obligation to be able to do that.”

The primary goal of the program is not to keep students isolated, but to teach them the skills necessary to return to a general education environment. This includes providing “replacement behaviors” so students can self-manage their emotions in a less restrictive setting.

“The ultimate objective is to help students manage their beliefs and emotions so they can eventually return to or become more successful in a less restrictive setting, including the general education classroom,” Michalik said.

Administrators emphasized that being in the district allows these students to learn alongside their same-age peers, which is vital for social modeling. When students are ready to transition back from outside placements, the district utilizes a gradual trial period to ensure success.

“We don’t transition them until we feel they’re absolutely ready, because we don’t want it to be a revolving door for their safety,” Michalik said. “We want them to feel successful. We want it to be a very good model for success.”

Beyond the educational benefits, board members discussed the financial impact of bringing services in-house. Outside placements can cost the district roughly $37,000 per student annually. By adding staff internally, the district aims to control costs while providing more robust programming.

“The fact that the kids get to be with their peers, and the fact that it’s saving us money by bringing things in-house — and that’s a secondary thing — making sure that they get to learn with their friends is the first role,” director Jeremy Glaush said.

The district plans to interview candidates for the new emotional support teacher position this month. The goal is to have the second classroom operational by April.