Special Education Programs

This program is designed to provide early intervention services to infants and toddlers (birth to age 3) who have solely low incidence disabilities (i.e., vision, hearing, or orthopedic problems). The primary purpose of the program is to enhance the development of the infant. To meet this purpose, the program includes home visits, group services, and family involvement activities.

Pre-school age children with special needs may be served in several ways:

• Designated instruction and services to support regular pre-school placement
• Designated instruction and services only
• Special Day Class
• Special Day Class with designated instruction and services

A student with special needs can be placed in a general education classroom (also known as full inclusion) with necessary support services to ensure that his/her educational needs can be met in that setting.

Support services (related services) are provided to special need students when they are required to help support his/her instructional program.

Students that qualify for special education services will receive services under the direction of the instructional support team. The instructional support team will provide services in an IEP developed by an IEP Team. The responsibilities of the instructional support team include providing instruction, resource information, monitoring pupil progress on a periodic basis, reviewing/revising Individual Education Programs (IEP’s), coordinating services, and consulting with parents and staff.

A student may be eligible for a self-contained classroom when the IEP Team determines the student's educational needs cannot be satisfactorily met in general education classes for the majority of the student’s day even with the use of support services.

Students in a self-contained classroom will participate with their non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate.

This placement is considered only when a student’s needs cannot be met within public school programs.

This placement is considered only when no appropriate placement is available within, but not limited to, the Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) and when a residential placement is needed for the children to meet his/her educational goals.

Special education instruction may also occur in settings other than classrooms where specially designed instruction takes place, (e.g., home instruction, residential placement).