The office of Student Support Services within Lamoille South Unified Union School District, LSUU, is committed to meeting the needs of all students. Collectively, we support and help to coordinate the following areas:
- Special Education
- Section 504
- School Counselor Services
- Mental Health Services
- Nursing Services
- Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)
- Prekindergarten Opportunities
- Homelessness Supports
- Multi Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
- Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS)
- Restorative Practices
Each school across LSUU supports these areas through a variety of faculty, staff and processes. As a support plan is generated and implemented you should continue to work with your school team and the building principal. If you have additional questions or concerns that the school team is unable to address, the LSUU Director of Student Services is also available to assist parents and teams.
Jessica Spencer
Director of Student Services
(802)888-4541 ext. 5486
Resources for families
These resources provided by the Agency of Education are intended to provide families information about special education and links to resources that may be helpful to the family and their child.
These rules are designed to ensure that:
(a) Eligible Vermont students with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living; in accordance with state and federal laws and regulations and in a cost-effective manner; and
(b) The rights of children with disabilities and their parents are protected.
- Notice of Procedural safeguards: Rights of Parents of Students with Disabilities (Updated October 2022) This document is provided by the Vermont Agency of Education. It outlines information for parents and guardians in regards to parental consent, evaluations, the special education process, and compliance.
This section of the IEP is designed to provide parents, upon their reflection on the developed IEP, to provide feedback to the IEP Team for inclusion within this IEP
Child Find:Evaluations in Special Education
Purpose
LSUU conducts regular Child Find activities to identify, locate, and evaluate students with disabilities aged birth through 21. We are committed to finding all students who need special education supports that reside in our boundaries while taking into consideration the importance of not over-identifying students from marginalized groups or making students eligible that may have factors other than disability impacting their learning, including second language acquisition. This includes children, over three years of age, that are homeschooled or attend a private school in our district.
Process
LSUU collaborates with a number of local agencies in its Child Find efforts including the local Part C agencies, Capstone/Head Start, Prek Partners, Mental Health, Department of Children and family services, and local doctor’s offices.
Regular notices of formal Child Find activities and ongoing efforts, including the contact information for the Director of Student Services, will be published in local newspapers and other media that serve the population of LSUU.
The staff within LSUU are knowledgeable about the characteristics of disabilities and the referral process for students suspected of having a disability. Every school within LSUU has an Educational Support Team (EST). The purpose of the EST is to notice and intervene early if a child is struggling in any area of educational performance. One possible outcome of support through this team could be referral for a special education evaluation in any and all areas of suspected disability.
If this is the case a formal special education referral is the initial step of the special education eligibility determination process.