I wish to say thank you to each individual that works with and supports special needs students. The training needed to understand the various types of disabilities and to be able to develop the curriculum, instruction, and assessments that are required for individualized education plans is extensive. To be able to implement those plans to help students achieve their goals and become successful requires content knowledge, talent, and patience on the part of the educator. I salute each and every one of you and pledge my support to assist you in carrying out the mission of Calhoun City Schools.
The IEP meetings are essential in determining how the child is to be instructed, accommodations to be received, and assessments to be taken. These important decisions require careful deliberation on the part of all stakeholders of the team. An IEP meeting should be completed in a manner in which all parties have input and come to consensus within the guidelines of special education laws and regulations. Students should be involved in the process when appropriate as the student will eventually advocate for themselves in post-secondary transition.
We will work to help students develop transition goals from middle to high school that will be a path to employment or post-secondary education. It is important for students to see a relevance to the education process. Students should have short and long term goals to not only have an idea of a career choice, but also a realistic path to achieve those goals.
Our Parents are an essential part of the IEP team. Parents want to know that we are meeting the needs of their children. It is our duty to ensure that parents are a part of the decision making process for their child. We need to continually reach out to partner with our parents and keep them informed of their child’s progress.
Thank you again for being a part of the special education team. I will always make myself available to assist you in any way possible as we serve our students together.