Lincoln-Way D-210 plans to combine student transition programs

NEW LENOX – Lincoln-Way High School officials plan to relocate students with special needs who attend the Transition House in Frankfort to a new program held at one of their high schools – but at least one parent is concerned about the move.

Students with special needs who are part of the Lincoln-Way Transition House will transfer to the L.I.F.E. Transition program at Lincoln-Way Central High School next fall.

Lincoln-Way officials said the move to the new program – which began this school year – will happen because they have more space and resources to run the program by themselves.

However, Sue Murphy of Mokena, who has a daughter at the Transition House, said the new program will be inadequate. She said she plans on attending Thursday’s school board meeting to raise concerns with other parents.

The transition program, designed to help young adults between the age of 18 and 21 with life skills, is run under a cooperative agreement between Lincoln-Way and Lincoln-Way Area Special Education District 843.

District 843 provides special education services to several school districts in New Lenox, Frankfort, Mokena and Manhattan.

Mary Harrison, Lincoln-Way District 210 special services director, said school officials were paying an estimated $500,000 in out-of-district fees to run the program under District 843. After investigating how similar programs were run by other high school districts, officials set out to determine how they could do the program themselves, she said.

“Why would you pay someone else when you can bring [the students] back to Lincoln-Way and provide those services?” Harrison said.

Murphy said she was concerned students at the Transition House will go to crowded classrooms at Central High School and be with lower-functioning students. She said she wants the Transition House to continue and does not believe Lincoln-Way is ready to combine the two transition programs.

“I think they’re putting the cart before the horse … the idea is there, but it’s not planned out well yet,” she said.

Harrison said the program at Central High will not be crowded. There are 12 students at the Transition House – the most since it began several years ago – and 28 students at the L.I.F.E. program, she said.

Students come from all four Lincoln-Way high schools.

Three classrooms are being used for the program now, with plans to expand to a fourth room, she said. The amount of staff and teachers will increase in proportion to the amount of students, she said.

Harrison also said the program “will be able to meet the individual needs of those students,” and will not have students with greater needs than others placed together.

Scott Tingley, Lincoln-Way District 210 superintendent, said school officials will “investigate ways to utilize” the Transition House in Frankfort.