The Hopkinton school district has a disproportionate number of white students identified with specific learning disabilities, according to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Director of Student Services Jessica Beattie told the School Committee on Thursday that this disproportionate finding has been a target since the 2022-23 school year.

She noted an action plan was sent to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) on March 26, outlining steps to be taken to show improvement and decrease disproportionality.

A district is flagged if risk is scored 4.0 or higher. Hopkinton was at 4.71 during the 2022-23 school year, 4.13 in 2023-24 and 4.21 during 2024-25.

Joining Beattie for the presentation were Nicole Murray, assistant director of student services, and Sarah Ellam, assistant principal at Hopkinton High School.

Beattie said that through analysis of the eligibility process and training in special education evaluation, assessment and tiered interventions, the goal is to reduce the risk ratio by at least 0.1 by fiscal year 2028.

“The importance of these findings is not to point out flaws but really make sure we are doing equitable work here for students,” Beattie said.

Although the idea is to get out of the “disproportionality” category that has been identified, Beattie added, “I don’t want the staff to feel they can’t identify students [when necessary].”

Instead, policies will be examined, professional development trainings will take place, and several committees and task forces will work on the issue.

School Committee member Nancy Cavanaugh asked if this identification could be disproportionality the other way around. “Could we be under-identifying the other groups?” she wondered.

Beattie said the district is working with families to see if that is the case. She said some families have the means to do their own independent data, while others do not.

She said the district would work with families to help them understand the referral and evaluation process so that if their child is struggling, parents understand what to do.

School Committee member Chris Masters said, “All I care about is if a student needs services, they get it regardless of identity.”

According to Beattie, a high number of referrals come from families, while others are made by staff and teachers. She said the worry is that some subgroups (non-white) “do not advocate for their children and rely on teachers to say when the student is struggling.”

She noted, “If they see a concern, say it.”

Masters asked, “Is it cultural?” He wondered if white people “raise their hand more and say, ‘I want my kid to get help.’ ”

Beattie said the combination of accurate identification, training staff and reaching out to families has the intent to identify all students who need services, belonging to all groups.

Food services position discussed

In other business, the committee approved the new position of assistant director of food services to be paid for through the revolving fund at a $100,000 cost.

Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Susan Rothermich said the idea is to “create a touchpoint with students.” The assistant director would oversee food services equipment, marketing and promoting nutritional benefits, testing menus and recipes and more.

Rothermich explained that the state mandates and pays for free lunches. “Every student that gets a lunch, the state reimburses for it.”

She noted: “Staffing, food, equipment … the state pays for everything.”

Students pay for “a la carte extras and snacks,” and that money goes into the revolving account as well, Cavanaugh said.

Masters expressed uncertainty about the position, questioning the need for it when the department has a director.

Even though the funding does not impact the operating budget, Masters was reluctant at first to vote in favor of it.

When asked if he wanted to abstain, he agreed to make the approval unanimous.