Special Education

 

 

 

 

 

At the Vermillion School District, we are committed to serving students with diverse needs via sound instructional practices and on-going collaboration and communication with education professionals, families, and the community. As part of our efforts to provide an appropriate education for children with diverse needs, education professionals within the Special Education Department participate in professional development opportunities to learn about instructional practices, strategies, interventions, and technology that have been shown to improve learning outcomes.

 

Please contact Jennifer Olafson, Director of Special Services, if you have any questions regarding Special Education Programs and services that are available for students with diverse needs.

 

Jennifer Olafson

Vermillion School District

605-677-7025

422 Princeton Ave.

Vermillion, SD 57069

 

 

Sometimes children do not demonstrate learning gains at the same rate as their peers. When there are concerns about a child’s progress in relation to that of his/her peers, and prior to a staff or parent request for a multi-disciplinary evaluation to determine eligibility for special education services, a proactive collaborative process involving the Student Assistance Team (SAT) is followed:

 

• The Student Assistance Team (SAT) is notified that there is a student who may be in need of additional support.
• The child’s file is reviewed
• All relevant data related to the area of concern are gathered and reviewed
• A meeting is held to allow teachers and parents to express their concerns
• Based on trends identified through data analysis, a plan of action is developed for the child that addresses the specific area of concern
• Evidence based interventions to address the specific area of concern are implemented
• Data is collected, interventions are checked for integrity, and progress is monitored over a designated period of time.

All buildings within the Vermillion School District utilize Student Assistance Teams. Please contact the building principal for your child’s school or Jennifer Olafson, Director of Special Services, at 605-677-7025, if you have any questions about the pre-referral process that is utilized within the Vermillion School District.

 

 

The Vermillion School District provides Child Find services by searching for children, ages birth through 21, with emphasis on children ages birth to 5 (preschool age), who may need special education services and are not currently being served by the public school system.

 

Child Find services conducted within our district are in alignment with Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which requires states to have policies and procedures to ensure that all children with disabilities are identified. In an effort to locate children who exhibit disabilities or delays in development, the Vermillion School District, in conjunction with Head Start and support from the University of South Dakota, provide pre-school screenings of vision, hearing and, upon request, development, speech/language and behavior.

 

If you know of a child who may benefit from a Child Find screening, please call:

 

Jennifer Olafson, Director of Special Services

Vermillion School District

Special Education Office: 605.677.7025