School Nurses as Vital Members of 504 and Individualized Educational Program Teams: Do District-Level Policies Make a Difference in School Nurses’ Involvement?

In 2019, 10 to 20 million school-aged youth were identified as having a chronic health condition or disability. However, little is known about U.S. school district policies on school nurses’ participation in Individualized Educational Program (IEP) and Section 504 teams to support these youth. Using nationally representative district-level data from the 2016 School Health Policies and Practices Study, we examined whether U.S. school districts have policies on school nurse participation in IEP and 504 development. In addition, we examined the relationship between having such policies and policies on (a) creating and maintaining school teams to assist students with disabilities and (b) the participation of other essential school staff in IEP and 504 development. Among districts with policies regarding school nurse participation in IEP development versus those that did not, a significantly greater proportion had policies on student support teams and counselors’ participation on IEP teams (79.2% vs. 44.4%, p < .001, and 98.7% vs. 56.2%, p < .001, respectively). In addition, among districts with policies on school nurse participation in 504 development versus those that did not, a significantly greater proportion also had policies on support teams and counselors’ participation on 504 teams (77.5% vs. 43.1%, p < .001, and 97.2% vs. 50.7%, p < .001, respectively). We also examine regional and locale differences in these policies. Findings encourage discussion on student support teams’ role in school districts for students with chronic health conditions and disabilities, how school nurses can be essential team members, and better coordination of student care to promote children who are engaged, healthy, and supported within the school community.

Implementing Effective Student Support Teams

Pre-service teachers in a K-12 setting, encounter students in need of academic and behavioral supports. One method of providing supports to struggling students in the general education and special education setting is through the problem-solving process of pre-referral intervention, hence forth referred to as Student Support Teams (SST) within Response-to-Intervention. During the SST process, student's academic and/or behavioral difficulties are considered through a multidisciplinary approach. Research demonstrates the use of a multi-tiered problem solving approach as a means to provide supports for students prior to special education eligibility and placement. Additionally, there are concerns regarding implementation and teacher perceptions (Powers, 2001) on the effectiveness of the intervention and collaboration between general education and special education teachers (Graden, 1989). This chapter discusses historical aspects, purpose and process, best practices, and challenges of SSTs, while presenting strategies for teachers and educators to effectively implement the SST process.

Strengthening Progress Monitoring Procedures for Individual Student Behavior Support

Progress monitoring is an essential element of effectively implementing individualized behavior support. Behavioral progress monitoring allows student support teams to evaluate both the effectiveness of interventions and the fidelity of plan implementation. The purpose of this discussion article is to provide recommendations and guiding questions for student support teams to build progress monitoring structures and routines across the areas of outcome and fidelity measures, implementation, and decision systems.

Implementing Effective Student Support Teams

Pre-service teachers in a K-12 setting, encounter students in need of academic and behavioral supports. One method of providing supports to struggling students in the general education and special education setting is through the problem-solving process of pre-referral intervention, hence forth referred to as Student Support Teams (SST) within Response-to-Intervention. During the SST process, student's academic and/or behavioral difficulties are considered through a multidisciplinary approach. Research demonstrates the use of a multi-tiered problem solving approach as a means to provide supports for students prior to special education eligibility and placement. Additionally, there are concerns regarding implementation and teacher perceptions (Powers, 2001) on the effectiveness of the intervention and collaboration between general education and special education teachers (Graden, 1989). This chapter discusses historical aspects, purpose and process, best practices, and challenges of SSTs, while presenting strategies for teachers and educators to effectively implement the SST process.