Nearly 150 incoming kindergartners in Pasco County will start school Thursday, Aug. 13 with support services already in place, after a first-ever screening survey caught learning needs that might have gone unnoticed for months.
The district surveyed families of all 4,500 expected kindergartners this spring, asking whether children could identify letters, count to 10, wash their hands independently and use the restroom on their own. The results surprised administrators: beyond the roughly 100 children flagged for potty-training readiness, the screener identified close to 150 others with learning needs that schools historically would not have discovered until well into the year.
"It's a huge step in the right direction, because we're able to identify them early and get them placed," Superintendent John Legg told the Tampa Bay Times.
School nurses and social workers called each of those families to arrange discussions. In some cases, the conversations led to transportation arrangements, program placements and assignment to specialized staff, according to Melissa Musselwhite, executive director of student support programs and services.
The screener achieved an 86% response rate, partly because parents cannot access bus routes or teacher assignments until they complete it. School Board chairperson Colleen Beaudoin raised a concern at the board's Aug. 12 meeting: the 14% who did not respond may be the families the district most needs to reach.
Local schools affected
The screening applies district-wide across all 106 Pasco schools. For Land O' Lakes and Lutz families, that includes feeder elementaries such as Bexley, Connerton, Lake Myrtle, Oakstead, Pine View and Sanders Memorial in the Land O' Lakes High School zone, plus Denham Oaks, Lake Myrtle, Oakstead and Odessa Elementary in the Sunlake High School zone. The district has not released school-by-school referral numbers.
What families can do
Classes begin Aug. 13 across the district. Families who missed the screener or have concerns about a child's learning needs can contact the Student Support Specialist at their school. The district's Student Support Programs and Services office is also reachable by calling district headquarters at (813) 794-2000.
For children who arrive without potty training and have no known disability, the district's policy allows up to two weeks for families to prepare. After that window, the school nurse stays in contact and works with the family to identify any underlying medical issues.
