Department of Special Education

The Department of Special Education serves students of the Jackson County School District with diverse learning needs and abilites through a continuum of services in the least restrictive environmnent in partnership with parents, teachers, and administrators.

IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act):  Entitles every student to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) through their local school district from age 3 to age 21.  To ensure a FAPE, a team of professionals from the local educational agency meet with the student's parents to identify the student's unique educational needs, to develop annual goals for the student, and to determine the placement, program modification, testing accommodations, counseling, and other special services to meet the student needs. An Individualized Educational Program (IEP) is developed and implemented to address the student needs and meets the guildelines of federal and state educational agencies. The following are disabilities identified under IDEA:

• Autism
• Specific Learning Disability
• Intellectual Disablity
• Other Health Impairments
• Emotional Disablities
• Hearing Impairments
• Visual Impairments
• Tramatic Brain Injury
• Deaf-Blindness
• Developmental Delays
• Speech-Language Impairments
• Multiple Disablities
• Orthopedic Impairments

Students who meet state criteria for identification with one of the above listed disabilities may be eligible to have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) developed.  The purpose of an IEP is to provide specialized instruction to bridge academic and functional gaps in learning between students with disabilities and same aged peers.