Northeastern Wayne Schools, along with other area schools in the East Central Indiana Special Services Cooperative, have decided not to allow registered behavioral technicians to work with special education students in their buildings. The move comes after an evaluation of student needs and where RBTs fit in to meeting those needs.
Superintendent Matthew Hicks and board members heard from three parents who expressed concerns about that decision during the community comments portion of the board’s May 21 meeting.
Affected families recently received a mailed letter announcing the decision.
One parent said families weren’t consulted about how this decision could impact their kids, and they felt it was made behind closed doors with no chance for input before it was finalized. She said issues with specific technicians should have been addressed rather than removing all.
Another was concerned her two children, who are mostly nonverbal and on the autism spectrum, could regress. She said she believes that without the RBTs, her children’s Individualized Education Programs are at risk of not being implemented.
The third parent also expressed frustration with the letter, saying school leaders are responsible for providing families with a different plan of action if RBTs can’t be in the buildings.
While administrators and board members typically don’t respond to community comments during meetings, Hicks told those present he had been contacted by some concerned parents, and he intended to return their calls once the end-of-school activities slowed.
Hicks later told WWN that the schools agreed in good faith to allow RBTs from a variety of companies to work with students during the school day at parents’ requests in 2024-25. Schools don’t pay RBTs.
He said there’s nothing in students’ IEPs that requires schools to allow RBTs.
Autism centers set specific goals with parents, which are outside the students’ IEPs, Hicks said, and their work wasn’t directed by IEP goals set with the schools.
If RBT services were effective, the cooperative’s member schools, which also include Western Wayne, Union County and Franklin County, wouldn’t have decided to remove them, Hicks said.
However, Hicks said parents receive information from the centers employing the RBTs saying everything is fine with the services they provide.
“We did not make this decision lightly,” Hicks said.
He said he believes some of the students’ successes were misattributed to RBTs instead of teachers and teaching assistants.
During this analysis, Hicks said Northeastern has realized there’s more that can be done to help the district’s special education students. He intends for NWS to add teaching assistant positions at the elementary level, where the need is currently greatest.
He said they’ll also work through the cooperative to provide additional training to NWS teaching assistants. While NWS special education staff already undergo training, Hicks said he wants to see their continued growth.
Hicks issued “a heartfelt apology” to the families surprised by this decision. He said there’s no intention for harm, and upsetting them certainly wasn’t the goal.
“We’re trying to do what we believe is in the best interest of these students,” Hicks said.
A version of this article appeared in the May 28 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.