Bloomfield Admin Named Head of Darien Special Ed

A Bloomfield school district administrator has been chosen to head special education for Darien Public Schools starting July 1.

Deirdre J. Osypuk has been director of student support services in Bloomfield Public Schools since 2008, and assistant director for the previous four years. Special education is a part of the student services department in the district, which is located in a suburb north of Hartford.

"Dr. Osypuk has been instrumental in establishing and cultivating a culture where the focus has been on providing the most effective services for all students," Darien Schools Superintendent Stephen Falcone and Board of Education Chairperson Elizabeth Hagerty-Ross said in a news release (attached to this article).

"Her creating in-district programs for students on the autism spectrum, students with hearing imparirments, and students with significant behavioral challenges has allowed students to be educated more inclusively with their non-disabled peers," the news release stated. "She has been noted as a person who uses data effectively to analyze both student and system issues, applies collaborative approaches to solve problems and creates structures to measure student and district progress."

Osypuk received her bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, in psychology from Skidmore College and her doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Connecticut. She began her career as a school psychologist intern in Sterling Public Schools, then became a school psychologist in Scotland, CT.

After completing a post-doctoral fellowship at Natchaug Hospital in Mansfield, Osypuk served as a school psychologist for four years in Simsbury Public Schools. She later worked for eight years as an administrator in Bloomfield.

Osypuk is a licensed psychologist in Connecticut and has served in private practice, taught in the school psychology graduate program at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and has worked with the State Bureau of Special Education "on refining guidelines for evaluation timelines," according to the news release.

She also has co-authored articles in Psychology in the Schools and The Connecticut School Psychologist and has served on a panel at the CONNCASE (CT Council of Administrators of Special Education) Leadership Forum.

"Dr. Osypuk is recognized as a person who has brought creativity, energy, knowledge and perseverance to her leadership position," the news release stated. "She is held in high regard by the constituents with whom she works because of her collaborative style, in-depth knowledge of her discipline and strong organizational skills."