Her door is propped open, welcoming. She sits at her desk as a student finishes a test in one of the many seats around the classroom. The lights are off, late afternoon sun streams in from the windows.
It’s one of Laurie Mitzalis’ prep periods, and today she’s decided to take it during 7th. As one of four special education teachers at Hellgate, Mitzalis is able to take her prep whenever it works for her—a benefit of Hellgate’s progressive special education model.
Special education is a type of education that works with students with disabilities to support them in the school system. Most students who receive support from special education have what is called an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), which is acquired by evaluation with the school psychologist. Different schools have different models for their special education departments, though all are based on IDEA—the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
IDEA has been in effect since 2005, stating that its purpose is “to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education … designed to meet their unique needs….” One of the six pillars of IDEA is a non-restrictive environment for students with disabilities, emphasizing the importance of educating those with disabilities alongside those without.
Hellgate is the first high school in Missoula to make a shift to be more in line with IDEA’s mandates, mainly due to the influence of principals Judson Miller and Susan Bageant. Miller was hired as Hellgate’s principal in 2016 and began, among other things, working towards changing the special education department’s system. Bageant—arriving at Hellgate in 2019 as the assistant principal—was also instrumental in the change. Being from out of state, Miller and Bageant were familiar with more inclusive special education models, and were able to begin leading Hellgate towards that goal.
Before 2019, Hellgate’s special education curriculum was a “pullout” model. “Students … will be removed from a general education class, like a [Biology] class, and they’ll be offered an opportunity to take that class from a special education teacher,” said Aaron Fessler, one of Hellgate’s special education department’s new hires. He emphasized the issue in this model: special education teachers aren’t experts in science, math, or whatever else it may be. They’re experts in special education.
In 2019, Hellgate began to test out a special education model called the “co-teach” model in science classes, the first step towards the goal of the least restrictive environment. The school ended up switching to this model completely in 2020. The co-teach model, as the name suggests, had special education and general education teachers working in tandem. “We were going into mainstream classes and supporting students in the mainstream classes rather than providing separate instruction,” said Mitzalis.
Co-teach was slightly better than the pullout model, though it also had its issues. Maureen Ojala—who spent six years at Hellgate as a special education teacher and is now in her first year at CS Porter middle school—explained that she and the other special education teachers were assigned and confined to the same classroom every day, helping the special education students who would come in and out of that class. While this allowed for students to be included in general education classrooms, it was restrictive for the teachers and didn’t let them get to know any group of students very well.
Hellgate’s newest model, the consult model, removed that constraint.
Hellgate moved to the consult model in 2024, and it has been widely appreciated by the special education teachers. “I think it’s a really well thought out and effective way of working with kids who need learning supports,” said Fessler.
The consult model works like this: Each special education teacher is the case manager of around 25 students with IEPs, though they will work with many more students than that. “I write their IEP, I monitor their grades, I help them advocate for themselves,” said Mitzalis. She went on to explain that, in addition to her case management group, she has “consult students.” At Hellgate, each special education teacher specializes in a core subject—English, math, science, or social studies—and works with students in those classes. Mitzalis explained: “[Consult students] are not necessarily my [IEP] kids, they could be some of the other special ed teachers’… but everyone’s in English, so I work with any IEP kid in grade 11 and 12 English.”
Furthermore, instead of only teaching resource classes or being restricted to one classroom all day, the special education teachers are able to pop in and out of mainstream classrooms or study halls where their students may need them. They also teach some replacement classes for students who need extra help. That part hasn’t completely gone away as it is necessary for some students.
There are many pros to the consult model. One of the biggest is the effects for the teachers. Ojala explained that the consult model “gives teachers more autonomy.” It allows for teachers to choose where they go and what they do each day. The beginning of this article is a perfect example: Mitzalis was available for an interview during 7th period because she’d already checked in on her students in English classes and study halls and had determined that no one needed her help during that period that day.
Another huge benefit is that the shift in the system has destigmatized special education. “Some students just need that extra support,” said Ojala. Being a different type of learner isn’t a bad thing, and the consult model knows that. By integrating students into general education, the consult model makes special education feel more acceptable.
The first of its kind in Missoula, the consult model wonderfully shows Hellgate’s progressive way of thinking. For the last two years it has been working beautifully for the school, combining the expertise of general education teachers with the proficiency of teachers like Mitzalis and Fessler into a method that works for everyone.
As Fessler said, “it’s the best of both worlds… and I see really positive effects.”
