This commentary is by Brian Bloomfield, Ph.D., head of school at Lyndon Institute and chair of the Council of Independent Schools for Vermont.
In my first year of teaching, a mentor pulled me aside to talk about equity. I was struggling to connect with a few students, and she offered a simple illustration: if two students are trying to reach the top of a cabinet and one is shorter, treating them the same does not give them the same chance. Equity means giving the shorter student a stool.
Nearly 30 years later, that lesson remains central to how many educators understand their work. Education is not about producing uniform outcomes or serving an imagined average student. It is about creating the conditions in which every student can learn, grow and participate meaningfully in school and in civic life.
Today, that principle is especially important as Vermonters debate how schools serve students with disabilities and learning differences.
One persistent misconception is that some schools—particularly approved independent schools—do not share the same responsibilities as public schools when it comes to special education.
Vermont law is clear: under Act 173, all approved schools are obligated to enroll and support students with individualized education programs (IEPs) and to provide access to services comparable to those available elsewhere in the public education system.
Act 173 was designed to move Vermont away from a deficit-based, label-driven approach to special education and toward a system that emphasizes equity, inclusion and shared responsibility.
The law does not lower expectations for schools: it raises them. It recognizes that students learn in different ways and that schools must organize staffing, expertise and resources accordingly.
Today, Vermont faces a growing, statewide challenge that deserves more public attention: while overall student enrollment continues to decline, the number of students requiring special education support is rising.
Yet the supply of trained special educators, related service providers and specialists has not kept pace. This shortage is not a talking point—it is an ethical and practical problem affecting classrooms across the state.
Special educators are not interchangeable aides or add-ons. They are highly trained professionals who manage complex learning plans, collaborate with classroom teachers and ensure that legal and educational obligations are met.
Their work improves outcomes not only for students with identified disabilities but for entire classrooms and school communities. Diluting that expertise or treating complex learning needs as minor variations in attention or motivation undermines both students and teachers.
Independent schools, public schools and supervisory unions are all navigating this reality together. At Lyndon Institute, where I serve as head of school, students with IEPs and health plans are a significant part of the student body—an experience that mirrors trends seen statewide.
LI is one example among many Vermont schools working to meet legal obligations while responding to increasingly complex student needs. The specifics differ from school to school, but the responsibility is the same.
The broader question for Vermonters is not whether inclusion matters, but how we will sustain it. Doing this work well requires investment in professional training, realistic staffing models and policies that recognize the true scope of student needs.
There are no shortcuts. Equity demands time, expertise and commitment—especially to the more rural communities of Vermont.
As Vermont continues to examine its education system, we should resist narratives that pit schools against one another or suggest that inclusion is optional.
It is not.
Inclusion is a civic obligation grounded in law, research and basic fairness. If we believe that every student deserves a real opportunity to succeed, then our policies and our public conversations must reflect that belief.
Disclosure: VTDigger Opinion Editor Tess Stimson is married to an employee of Lyndon Institute.
