A full generation of students has gone through the Harvard schools since the Concord Area Special Education Collaborative (CASE) first came to town in the late 1970s. But when school reopens next fall, CASE will not be here.
According to Rory Liebmann, assistant director of CASE, the class that has met here in recent years is moving to Acton. Harvard students who are served by the CASE program will have to move, too. In 2010-2011, the Harvard class included nine children from grades 3 to 5, only one of whom lived in town. (In previous years, classes have included more Harvard residents.)
Longtime CASE teacher Phyllis Erickson and her staff will also go to Acton. Liebmann explained that Acton is able to offer the class a number of advantages—a specially designed room located next to a bathroom and the nurse’s office, as well as its own drop-off area. The class will also be in “a more age-appropriate part of the building” in Acton, Liebmann reported. State regulations require special-education students to be with others of a similar age. In Harvard, the CASE classroom was in the kindergarten wing. (It was also on the second floor, which was difficult if students had physical disabilities.)
Jamie Allard, a Harvard resident whose daughter has been part of the CASE class here, expressed disappointment over the move. She explained that having a classroom at the Hildreth Elementary School (HES) allowed local CASE students to be in the same school as their siblings. CASE students also saw their age-mates in familiar settings at local events.
“When my daughter goes to the library, she sees kids she knows, and they know her. That won’t happen anymore. She’ll be missing the connection with her own town,” Allard said regretfully.
School Superintendent Thomas Jefferson also serves on the CASE board of directors. Jefferson noted that Harvard is the westernmost town in the collaborative, and the move will mean a shorter drive for most students. Jefferson said Harvard will lose about $7,000 in room credit, which has been deducted from CASE’s bill for services to Harvard students in all age groups. He noted that—with primary and intermediate grade programs now both in Acton—CASE students will not have to change schools as much as they formerly did.
Liebmann, who was the special education director in Harvard when the town first joined the CASE Collaborative, said that the collaborative may well return to Harvard in the future. The group seeks space as needed for its various program, he explained.
