Michael F. Devine, Superintendent
180 Harborview Road
Hull, MA 02045
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Hull Public Schools Restructure Administrative Roles to Increase Services to Special Education Students
HULL — Superintendent Michael Devine is pleased to announce that several members of Hull Public Schools have stepped into new roles to increase services to special education students throughout the district.
At the start of the school year, Assistant Superintendent Judith Kuehn expanded her position to include student services and curriculum. She previously focused on curriculum and development, but has now taken on additional responsibilities that were held by by Director of Student Services Philippa Young, who has taken another job out of district. The position will not be refilled.
Kuehn has many years of experience working in special education. Prior to coming to Hull, she was the Director of Student Services in Sharon for four years, and early on in her career worked as a special education teacher for students in first grade through twelfth.
“Judy has such passion and talent for finding creative solutions that help students with special needs learn, grow and succeed in the classroom,” Superintendent Devine said. “I know that all of our students will greatly benefit from her expertise.“
With the expansion of Assistant Superintendent Kuehn’s job, funding was available to move the Hull High School school psychologist position from part-time to full-time. This allows the psychologist to provide additional support to special education teachers and service providers at Hull High School while also assisting the school psychologists at the Jacobs Elementary School and Memorial Middle School.
Principals will also play a greater role in ensuring that all students with special needs receive the services, accommodations and modifications to the curriculum to which they are entitled. To do so, they will attend all initial and re-evaluation meetings, which are used to determine eligibility for special education services, and work with the special education teachers to develop data-driven goals.
Kindergarten through grade eight Curriculum Coach and Out-of-District Coordinator Mary Merrigan will increase her oversight to include all Hull Public School students who are in out-of-district placements. Previously, she had only worked with half of Hull’s out-of-district students.
Merrigan will also work with Assistant Superintendent Kuehn and the special education teachers to pro-actively identify students who need additional support and assist in developing and implementing strategies to help these students find success in the classroom.
“Our goal with this restructuring is to be able to provide more direct services to students who are in need,” Superintendent Devine said. “The number of students who come to school with a learning or emotional disability is growing and we want to best ensure that we can provide the services they need to excel in the classroom.”
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