FINDLAY, Ohio — Some changes are on the way next school year for children with disabilities in Hancock County.
For the last handful of years, the Hancock County Board of Developmental Disabilities has been phasing out school classes for area children with developmental disabilities.
Instead, the students have been moved back to their home school districts.
Following the end of the 2022-23 school year, the only class remaining for students with developmental disabilities will be the preschool at Blanchard Valley School, which will be operated by the Hancock County Educational Service Center.
"Expertise in education," HCESC Superintendent Jeff Young said. Where (HCBDD's) real focus has been on the developmental disabilities part of it, we are focused on the education part."
The three-year agreement will have HCESC overseeing the preschool class, freeing up more resources for the HCBDD to focus on adult programming.
"They have built a beautiful facility, they have a sensory room, a beautiful playground, great equipment out there," HCESC preschool supervisor Donna Losiewicz said. "We're just going to be overseeing the therapists, the teachers and the educational component."
Older students who were once isolated from their peers who don't have disabilities will now have a chance for more socialization and more educational resources than they would have before.
"They're exposed to people without disabilities," HCBDD spokesperson Nadine Weininger said. "So, they might be able to learn about things that they weren't exposed to previously being secluded along with people with disabilities."
School psychologists and physical and occupational therapy are services that will be provided to the students, Young said.
HCESC has already posted all staff positions for the preschool program and hopes to bring over as many of the existing staff from the current classroom.