FARMINGTON — Locations and staffing for a new student behavioral program are nearing completion, Curriculum Coordinator Laura Columbia told Regional School Unit 9 directors Tuesday evening.

Pathways for All Learners, or PAL, was approved as part of the 2018-19 district budget to meet the needs of all students, Columbia said Wednesday.

“Not all students have the skills or the appropriate behavior to (thrive) in a normal class setting,” she said. “It’s mostly self-monitoring skills the students may be lacking. This program is a way to gain those skills through a social worker and a board certified behavior analyst.”

Columbia said the goal is always to transition the students back into a general classroom when those skills have been acquired.

The site for kindergarten through second-grade students will most likely be Mallett School in Farmington, and third through fifth grade students will go to Academy Hill School in Wilton, she said.

The referral process will be similar to those for special education program but is not finalized, Columbia said.

She said the transportation director is involved in determining routes with the least amount of stops to have fewer transitions for students.

“We are currently conducting interviews to staff the program,” Columbia said.

emarquis@sunmediagroup.net

Laura Columbia, curriculum director for RSU 9 (Kennebec Journal photo)

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