Wilmette Public Schools District 39 offers a full continuum of Special Education services. Special education is instruction and related services provided by special education personnel or by a general education program that has been modified through the use of special education support services, supplementary aids, or other special programming.
District 39 follows state and federal laws that establish criteria for special education eligibility. The federal government recognizes 14 categories under which children may qualify for special education. These disabilities include: autism, deaf-blindness, deafness, developmental delay, emotional disorder, hearing impairment, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, and visual impairment.
District 39 programs are aligned from K-8 to provide children similar program experiences as they move through our schools. However, the type of support is adjusted to be developmentally appropriate. Below is a brief schematic overview of K-8 programs.
Services
Wilmette Public Schools District 39 provides a variety of supports and services to students with disabilities who are eligible for special education. In addition to Learning Behavior Specialists, who are special education teachers and serve students at all of our buildings, we have a variety of instructional and related services available for eligible students. These services are based on a comprehensive review of a child’s individual needs and goals. Services include adaptive P.E., assistive technology, behavior intervention specialists, itinerant vision and hearing impaired teachers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, psychologists, social workers, and speech and language pathologists.
NOTICE TO PARENTS/GUARDIANS OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the District must provide appropriate special education and related services to students with disabilities to address their educational needs. If your student receives related services from the District through their Individualized Education Program ("IEP") document, such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, social work, nursing services, and speech and language therapy, you may request copies of related service logs developed and maintained by the District for your child. These related service logs include information regarding the type and duration of related services administered to your child.
If you have any questions regarding your child's special education services, please contact your child's case manager or building principal. If you have additional questions, you may contact Kristin Swanson, Assistant Superintendent for Student Services at [email protected] or (847) 512-6004.
Birth-to-Three
Certain children are identified at birth as having disabilities. The state has established an Agency named Child and Family Connections, which assists families in securing itinerant services (e.g. speech therapy, occupational therapy) for children identified at this age.
The District is responsible for transitioning children aged 0-3 to the District 39 Early Childhood Program. At the age of 2 1/2, Child and Family Connections notifies District 39 of a child in need of transition. The District has up to six months to complete any additional evaluations that the team recommends and then meet with parents to discuss whether continuing intervention is needed. A variety of options may be discussed with parents. Please contact Amanda Barton, Early Childhood Coordinator, at 847-512-6463 with any questions.
Early Childhood
Wilmette District 39 offers a continuum of special education services to meet the unique educational needs of three- to five-year-old students with disabilities. The range of available services is designed in compliance with federal and state guidelines supporting the least-restrictive environment in which services can be provided. Least-restrictive environment means providing services in settings similar to programs provided to typical preschool children.
Preschool children are found eligible to participate in district services through an identification and assessment process. The assessment of preschool children focuses on the expectations and growth of the preschool child, and the evaluation of developmental skills, which are the foundation for academic and social learning. The assessed skill areas relate to academic functioning and are divided into five developmental domains: cognitive skills, fine and gross motor skills, self-help skills, social skills, and speech and language skills.