Special Education

Special Education

Woodland Park School District’s special education philosophy supports IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)… All kids get to go to school and get a fair chance to learn. Kids, including kids with disabilities, go to school with their neighbors, sit in classrooms together, join school clubs, go on field trips, go to plays and go to sports events. Kids are not separated because of a disability.

Getting a fair chance to learn, for kids with disabilities, means getting school services that meet their individual needs. To meet individual needs, the school should provide specially designed instruction by adapting and modifying what and how schools teach. The IEP (Individualized Educational Program) describes what those services will be and makes sure that kids with disabilities get a fair chance to learn. Congress calls this FAPE – providing a Free Appropriate Public Education.

Woodland Park School District is dedicated to all students and believe that they should be prepared to enter “life after High School” with as many opportunities as possible and with as much independence as possible. To this end, we provide a continuum of services based on student need that capitalizes on their strengths while supporting their challenges.

Students qualify for special education supports and services through a standardized process. This process is directed by Federal and State law and utilizes a variety of assessments and observations to ensure accuracy.

Parents are an integral part of the special education process. Their knowledge and opinion is important in assessment, placement and services. No student is assessed for special education services without the consent of the legal guardian.

Not all students who have a diagnosed disability will qualify for special education services. If your student has a diagnosis from a source other than the school district, contact your childs teacher to determine how their needs will be met.

Services will be provided in the least restrictive environment (LRE) possible. This means that all students, regardless of disability, are considered to be general education students first and will be placed in classes with typical peers to the fullest extent practicable.

Services for students are as diverse as the students themselves. No decision is ever based on a label or their defined disability. Each building team works hard to ensure that the support plan is truly individual.

Parent Resources:

Procedural Safeguards

Overview of the Special Education Process

Dispute Resolution

Extended School Year

IDEA 2004

Colorado Options - A handbook for Post-Secondary Education Services for Students with Disabilities

Specific Disabilities