Kaveri Dole || SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

Stephanie Hand, a special education teacher at AHS since 2002 is set to retire at the end of this school year.

Hand dedicates herself to her students not just through teaching her inclusion science classes in the special education department, but also through managing individual cases of her students with disabilities with the required care and personalization.

Her classes tend to fall between three to four students, where for each student Hand writes and monitors Individual Education Programs (IEPs), which are legal documents for students with disabilities to support them in school that include instructions for care, any accommodations they may need, and any special services provided for them.

In reality, teaching is Hand’s second job, after previously working for the federal government Social Security administration. While she occasionally worked in instruction at her prior job, Hand says, “Theres nothing that compares to teaching.”

Hand originally got a Bachelors in Science for geology at the University of Michigan before her federal government job. After taking time off from that job to start a family, she sought an occupation that aligned with her new responsibilities as a mother. 

That is what drew Hand to teach non special education classes at Littleton in earth science, environmental science, and chemistry. Then, she obtained a master’s degree in special education at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and subsequently joined the AHS special education department. “It was a whole different ballgame,” Hand said, recalling the shift she made to teaching.

“She will be missed,” says Ms. Thibedeau, another inclusion teacher in the AHS special education department. 

The AHS Special Education department is losing its science teacher to retirement at the end of this school year.

Stephanie Hand has taught inclusion and small-group science classes in the Special Education department at AHS since 2002, working with groups of three or four students at a time. Her retirement comes as the department continues to navigate budget constraints that staff say have already reduced the number of available teachers and support positions in recent years.

“There’s nothing that compares to teaching,” Hand said. “The teachers in this school are giving and sharing and just amazing colleagues.”

Hand’s responsibilities extend beyond the classroom. In addition to teaching, she manages student caseloads by writing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). IEPs are legally required documents for students with disabilities in public schools that outline the student’s specific learning needs, what accommodations and support they’ll receive, goals for their academic progress, and what services the school must provide.

It remains unclear who will take over Hand’s role next year. Department staff say the transition plan likely will not be finalized until the fall.

“She’ll be missed,” said Karen Thibedeau, a special education teacher at AHS, who has also worked in the department since 2010 and knows Hand personally. “She’s always been very engaging and inviting.”

Hand’s retirement highlights ongoing staffing pressures within the department. Thibedeau noted that she previously shared her classroom with Hand, but the co-teacher position was cut due to budget constraints. Under current guidelines, restoring the position would require a class of 16 students, a threshold the teacher described as too high given the individualized nature of special education instruction.

A portion of the department’s budget is also directed toward out-of-district placements—a legally mandated expense for school districts that cannot provide appropriate services locally. This includes special needs students living outside of Andover that still attend AHS for the specialized program. Staff say those costs reduce the funding available for in-district positions and support staff.

“It always comes down to numbers,” Thibedeau said, referring to budget restraints. “With a couple of the retirements, they don’t have to cut any positions, but they’re not adding any.”

That means staff who remain may absorb responsibilities previously held by those retiring, including coverage of Hand’s courses. Department teachers said they do not yet know how those assignments will be distributed.

Beyond staffing, special education teachers also raised concerns about AHS’s rotating eight-day schedule, which they believe creates challenges for a student population that benefits from consistency and routine. Students participating in off-campus work placements, such as internships at local businesses, face scheduling conflicts when academic classes fall on the same day as their placement.

“You go out in the real world, you’re working on a five-day schedule,” Thibedeau said. “Every day is different, it’s not really a set cascade.”