Special Education

Special Education Services

A student may qualify for special education services after an assessment has been conducted in accordance with Federal Guidelines, has been found to have a disability, who because of those impairments needs special education and related services meets the criterion under one of the 13 categories for special education eligibility: 

• Autism

• Deaf-Blindness

• Deafness

• Hearing Impairment

• Intellectual Disability

• Multiple Disabilities

• Orthopedic Impairment

• Other Health Impairment

• Emotional Disturbance

• Specific Learning Disability

• Speech or Language Impairment

• Traumatic Brain Injury

• Visual Impairment

Based on a student’s needs, a student may receive one or more of the following services:

• Designated Instructional Services

• Speech Therapy

• Occupational Therapy

• Adapted Physical Education

• Health Services

• Behavioral Intervention

A full array of placement options exists to provide a continuum of services, based on the student’s identified needs:

• Resource Specialist RS

• Special Day Class SDC

• County Office of Education COE

• SELPA classes

• Non Public-Schools/Agencies

• Home Hospital Instruction

Home Hospital Instruction

Students may at times require hospitalization for health reasons. Should hospitalization occur and be required for a period of time, please notify your child’s school. The school district where the hospital is located will provide instruction while your child is in the hospital.

At other times, students may have health related reasons that require they do not attend school for a period of time. With a doctor’s order describing the condition, the length of time the student needs to be on bed rest and any other significant information of your child’s non-contagious medical disorder, a Home Instructor may be assigned to provide up to one hour of daily instruction in the home. Contact your school principal if your child’s health condition requires that he not be in attendance at school.

Preschool Assessment

While we offer a continuum of special education services for preschool children who meet eligibility requirements, we do not currently have a general education preschool program.

To request an assessment for your preschooler age 3-5 (not kindergarten eligible for the current school year), please complete the following items so that we can get the assessment process started:

• Send a brief letter with the following information:

  • • Your child's name as it appears on the birth certificate, and date of birth

    • Parent/guardians' names and home address

    • Parent/guardians' phone numbers and email addresses

    • Language spoken in the home and the child's dominant language

    • A brief description of your concerns (developmental skills or behaviors, e.g. "He doesn't talk," or "She talks a lot but we can't understand her," etc.)

    • Any additional information or diagnoses that your child may have from medical providers

• Register online.

• Turn in all residency documentation to Noddin (Regardless of your home school, all preschool assessments are conducted at Noddin).

• Provide all required student documents (as indicated in the online registration) to Noddin. 

Once residency is confirmed, and you live within the Union School District, you will be contacted by a member of the assessment team to begin to gather more information about your child and to explain the evaluation process. You are entitled to a response to your request for an evaluation within 15 days of providing proof that you are a resident.

If you have any questions, please contact the Early Education Assessment Team at Noddin.

Patti Brown and Jennifer Huntley, Speech Pathologists - 408-356-2126

If your child is kindergarten-eligible for the current school year based on birthdate, but not enrolled in a kindergarten program, contact your neighborhood school of residence with the above information to request a speech and language assessment.