Student Support Services Overview and Staff

Student Support Services focuses on academic outcomes, aspirations for our students, parent/community engagement, and regulatory compliance. Our goal is to help every child succeed. We provide our students with stability and continuity, new opportunities for inclusion, and higher-quality programs that are aligned with our district's goals of equity for all students. In collaboration with all WNESU schools, PreK-12, we strive to provide equitable opportunities to engage in high-quality instruction in the least restrictive environment, empowering each student to grow according to their ability.

Federal law guarantees every student the right to a free and appropriate public education regardless of disability. Special Education rules and regulations guarantee the right to an education in the “least restrictive environment.” WNESU values inclusion and equity for all students.

If you believe that your child is having difficulty making progress in a regular classroom due to a disability, you have the right to request an evaluation of your child to find out if your student has a disability and is eligible for special education services. Please contact Student Support Services at (802) 463-1612, or your student’s teacher or principal, for this evaluation.

Special Education

Special Education entitles eligible children to a free appropriate public education beginning as early as the child’s third birthday and can be provided to those eligible through 21 years of age.

Age 3-5 Services: Essential Early Education (EEE)

• Educational program designed to provide educational services to students with a developmental delay (40% or more), a medical condition which places them at risk of developmental delay or with an identified disability according to 3-21 regulations.
• Services provided in an array of environments, including school-based early education classrooms as well as home/community-based environments.

Age 6-21 Services: Special Education & Related Services - Students are identified as being in need of special education services if they meet the following:

• Presence of an identified disability in one of twelve recognized disability categories.
• Disability has an adverse effect on the student’s educational performance in one or more basic skill areas. 
• A student is in need of specialized instruction that cannot be provided through the school’s system of support for all students

An individualized education program (IEP) is designed for students eligible for special education to provide a free and appropriate public education without charge to the parent or student.

Students are eligible for special education services after they have been determined eligible under Vermont State Regulations.

Special education regulations entitle families to specific rights in regards to their child’s education. More information can be found here on the State of Vermont Agency on Education site.

Child Find Notice

In compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-446), we are required to locate and identify all school-age children, who may have a disability, and provide them with an appropriate education and developmental screening.

The Early Childhood Special Education program of Windham Northeast Supervisory Union provides free developmental screening to all preschool children and infants throughout the school year on an individual basis by appointment.  If you have a child and you are concerned about his or her development, you may call the Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator at (802) 460-7827 to make an appointment.  The purpose of this process is to locate children with disabilities who would benefit from early identification and intervention.

Any person having information regarding students with disabilities, who are not receiving a free, appropriate public education, should contact the Director of Student Services, at (802) 463-1612 or at the Windham Northeast Supervisory Union, 5111 US Route 5, PO Box 92, Westminster Station, VT  05159. 

Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act makes special education and related services a federal entitlement for students with disabilities. It requires that these students be offered a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment and focuses on parent participation, procedural safeguards, and confidentiality. Amendments have extended the entitlement for education to students three to five and addressed the needs of infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. States receiving federal education funds are required to identify and evaluate students with disabilities and offer them an individualized education plan (IEP) or, in the case of infants and toddlers, an individual family service plan (IFSP) of special education and related services.