Havre district looks to expand early education enrollment

Under Montana state law, a child must turn 5 years old by Sept. 10, to enroll in kindergarten, but Havre Public Schools Superintendent Andy Carlson said a path is already in place for a child to be able to enter kindergarten prior to that date, and the district is looking to expand its capabilities and become eligible for funding for enrolling kindergarten students early.

Carlson said, in an interview he and Havre Public Schools Director of Special Education and Federal Projects Karla Geda gave Monday, that the district already enrolls eligible early students in kindergarten.

“We have that policy and what you have to do is pass an IQ test as well as a social test,” Carlson said. “Mrs. Geda administers both of those, so there is a path for a kid that is potentially not 5 by Sept. 10.”

He added that what the school district is asking for is an exceptional circumstance which is the key in all of this.

“It is not 100 percent open enrollment,” Carlson said. “... It’s exceptional circumstances. Which one of those exceptional circumstances we already have to abide by, by law, and that law was passed in 1975, and it changed to IDEA in 1990, the name of it did, which is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.”

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act provides education for qualifying children from 3 years old through 21 years old up until they turn 22.

The Havre Public Schools Board of Trustees approved on second and final reading at its monthly regular meeting Tuesday a policy to increase the number of children allowed to enroll in kindergarten early.

Before the vote, Carlson said he fully supports expanding the ability to enroll children early.

“If we were able to put together a kindergarten program and have this in place,” he said, adding that the kindergarten program has helped the district address some of the education access issues American Indian children and children of poverty have had.

“I am 100 percent in favor of that,” he said.

The vote is just an early step in the process, and it is not creating an open kindergarten policy, he said.

“There is a long way from us implementing this policy and us having a kindergarten program in place which would do just that, it is for exceptional circumstances you cannot just offer kindergarten to any child,” he said. “I will openly tell you this is not open enrollment. You can’t just say you’re going to hold a kindergarten class for children who fit in this category.”

The implementation of the program has to be approved by Montana Office of Public Instruction, and the school board must approve every application to enroll a child in kindergarten early on case-by-case basis.

Board member Brian Williams said that the policy is to make sure that the school district has on the books that it will not be implemented unless the need arises.

Board member Bill Hill said he has read the policies. The idea sounds good and the Legislature put this in place to address the needs of students and exceptional circumstances, but if Havre Public Schools adopted the policy it could open up doors for other things that are not beneficial, he said.

Hill was the sole vote against adopting the policy, as he was in its first reading at the board meeting in November.

Carlson said the board and OPI approval would not only allow the district to serve more early kindergarten student, it would provide federal funding through IDEA that the district does not receive now.

Havre Public Schools already serves a number of students who fit in the category of children 3-5 with extraordinary circumstances but does not receive any funding, he said. The policy would allow the schools to receive funding for these students.

Carlson said in the interview Monday that the schools have to provide education for the children who fit under the Part B category under IDEA, adding that the kindergartners who fit into one of the exceptional circumstances, which includes seven factors that have to be approved by the school board.

Those were the factors approved Tuesday

Montana Code Annotated 20-9-309 lists the seven factors, such as a student has a medical condition that would impact schooling, is not proficient in English, is identified as gifted and talented, is living in poverty, and who are Native Americans.

“It’s not everybody can come in and enroll in kindergarten and we wouldn’t be, quite honestly, we’re not interested in that. There are exceptional circumstances that maybe down the road we would take a look at,”  he said. “… To me the categories that would be usually recommended to the school board would be those children of poverty, American Indian students and children who fall under that IDEA part B.”

A lot of planning and work will have to be done prior to having this enrollment policy installed, he said adding that a school can’t just have a course, the Montana Office of Public Instruction has to approve the course and there has to be a way to showcase kindergarten outcomes as well.

He emphasized that this does not mean an open early kindergarten policy and it is not a new policy.

“What I think what people have in mind, that we are going to have come-one, come-all kindergarten and that’s not the case nor would what the Legislature had in mind when they put this option in schools,” he said. “We have been providing services for children ages 3 to 5 since 1975, because the law says that.”

Ceda said they identify children who would qualify through Child Find.

IDEA/Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act says Child Find includes: 

• Transition from the IDEA Part C, for children from birth to 3 years, Early Intervention Program,

• Preschool screening activities that reach out to the community at large, including private and home schools, as well as local Head Start programs,

• School-based referral activities for school activities for school-age students,

• Referral and evaluation of students.

“The difference between Part C and Part B is that Part C services are (for) birth to 3 they have in-home services, so they are really considered home-based services,” Geda said. “When they reach the age of 3, we have to identify them and go through a process to make sure that they need services that level the playing field for education purposes. We provide the education, the services based on educational services, it has to be educationally relevant for Part B.”

She said the district does do transitions for the Part C students who may already be in transition in which the parents and child will meet with her and they do some evaluations on the student and to make sure the student qualifies for the districts services.

The Havre school district partners with local Head Start, located at 1360 Lincoln Ave. for all students, not just the students from ages 3 to 5, to offer services.

People who would like to know more information can visit http://opi.mt.gov/Educators/Teaching-Learning/Special-Education/Special-Education-Forms-Guides or contact Havre Public Schools at 395-8550.

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Havre Daily News reporter Derek Hann contributed to this report.