The Dallas School District believes that every child is entitled to a free and appropriate public education regardless of the nature or severity of his or her disability. Our staff seeks not only to educate, but to affirm the individual dignity and self-worth of each child with a disability.

 

Once a parent or school staff person believes a child may have a disability, a Student Intervention Team is convened to review specific information about the child and determine whether or not an evaluation is needed. If the Team suspects a disability may exist, that child is referred to Special Education staff for a formal assessment.

 

Once a student is identified as having a disability, he or she is served through an Individualized Education Plan or IEP. The IEP is a collaborative effort on the part of the IEP Team, of which parents are an integral part. The IEP Team also consists of special and regular educators, as well as other specialists knowledgeable about the student’s individualized needs. In addition, every child served through special education has a set of procedural safeguards in place to ensure that his or her right to a free and appropriate education is maintained.

 

In order to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities, we offer a wide range of special programs:

 

Educational Resource Room K-12: (ERC) Student receives basic skills instruction from special education staff in the resource room setting in additional to their general education program.  The program is designed to provide as much, or as little, as student needs in the way of special education services in order for them to successfully access their education. Instruction is focused on Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals which support progress toward competence in grade level learning targets.

 

Developmental Learning Center K-12: (DLC) Student receives intensive instruction in special education classroom programs from a special education teacher. The DLC setting is where individualized instructional programs and teaching techniques are used to address moderate to severe learning and physical disabilities or special social/behavioral cultural, and language needs of the students. Skills are developed with significant adult support through the following strategies:

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• Visual systems for work completion, communication and organization

• Structured classroom settings

• Functional routines

• Social skills routines

• Adapted motor skills development

• Functional academic development

• Reduced class size / small structured setting

• Carefully planned schedules and transitions

• Pre/Vocational Training

• Modified environmental stimuli

• Additional adult support within school environment

 

Structured Learning Program K-8/New Options (9-12): (SLP) Student receive intensive behavior/emotional instruction in special education classroom programs from a special education teacher. The SLP/New Options setting is where individualized instruction programs and teaching techniques have an emphasis on  building cognitive skills, social skills, emotional development, behavior management, communication development, as well as, provision of sensory supports. Skills are developed with significant adult support through the following strategies:

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• Social-cognitive instruction

• Life-skills curriculum

• Pre/vocational skill development

• Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) / Behavior Support Plan (BSP)

• Reduced class size / small structured setting

• Carefully planned schedules and transitions

• Reduced instructional pace

• Content presented at students ability level

• Classroom visual supports

• Additional adult support within school environment

 

Daily Living Skills (18+ years): A community based program providing age appropriate transition services for students ages 18-21, with moderate to severe disabilities in the area of independent living skills and community involvement; who have graduated from High School with a modified diploma, extended diploma, or alternative certificate. The community based focus to assist students to develop maximum independence and contribute to their communities. Specially designed instruction takes place within a classroom setting, home environment, vocational placements and community settings. Daily Living Skills focus includes: work experience, budgeting, food preparation, shopping, personal hygiene, personal safety, healthy leisure and recreational activities.

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The Dallas School District works with the Willamette Education Service District (WESD) to provide Speech and Language Pathologists (SLP), Occupational Therapists (OT), Physical Therapists (PT), Vision Specialists (VS), Deaf and Hard of Hearing Specialists (DHH), Augmentative Communication, and Orientation and Mobility Specialists (O&M).