Special Education

Mr. Bolita – Administrator of Special Education
Mr. Hines – Resource Specialist Teacher
Mr. Ortega – Resource Specialist Teacher
Erwin Cecilio – Special Education Assistant
Ramon Gil – Special Education Assistant
Elidia Sabia – Special Education Assistant

Are you concerned about your student’s progress in school? Are you worried that their academic performance is not reflecting their potential? Do you feel your student needs additional support to succeed in school? If you answered yes to any of the above, we would like to work with you to find the right support plan for your student.

If you are concerned that your student is struggling to acquire linguistic, academic, behavioral, or social competency, you can collaborate with the school to address barriers to success and develop a support and intervention plan.

1. • To set up a SSPT meeting, reach out to your student’s counselor, Ms. Veloz or Mr. Lastre, to schedule a time to meet.
   • The team includes the caretaker, student, counselor, administrator, teacher, and other individuals that are knowledgeable about strategies and resources to address students’ academic, behavior, linguistic, and social emotional needs.
   • The goals of the SST meeting are:
     1. Clarify your student’s challenges
     2. Document intervention strategies
     3. Coordinate intervention services
     4. Document effectiveness of intervention strategies
   • The team will continuously monitor student progress and modify supports as needed.

If your student has a physical or mental impairment that substantially impacts their learning, they may be eligible for additional support through a 504 plan or Individualized Education Program (IEP). Both IEPs and 504 plans offer formal, written blueprints for how the school will provide support and remove barriers for your student.

A 504 plan should be considered when a student isn’t benefiting from instruction due to a physical or mental impairment. The issue can be raised by a parent or legal guardian, teacher, physician, or therapist.

A 504 plan refers to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which is a federal civil rights law that protects students from disability discrimination in public schools and colleges. Any student with a physical or mental disability that substantially limits a major life activity (including school), has a right to reasonable accommodations allowing them equal access to learning and school activities. 504 plans are not just for one type of challenge or difficulty. Some kids with 504 plans have ADHD. Some have learning disabilities. Other students may have severe allergies, physical impairments that limit mobility, or mental health challenges.

A 504 plan will provide your student with certain accommodations, or changes in how they learn the curriculum. For example, students might receive extra time on tests and assignments, graphic organizers for writing, or seating near the front of the class. Which accommodations the student receives will be decided collaboratively.

Once the plan is developed by the team, all the student’s teachers are responsible for implementing the accommodations in the plan.

An Individualized Education Program, or IEP, is both a process and a written document that sets learning goals and describes services the school will provide to a student who is eligible for special education services.

To be eligible for an IEP, a student must meet two requirements:

1. The student has one or more of the 13 disabilities listed in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IEDA), which is the federal law protecting students with disabilities.
2. The disability affects the student’s educational performance and/or ability to learn and benefit from the general education curriculum. In other words, without specialized instruction and support, the student can not make progress in school.

The IEP is created by a team that includes:

• The student’s parent or caregiver
• At least one of the student’s general education teachers
• At least one special education teacher
• The school psychologist
• An administrator or district representative with authority over special education services

The written IEP document will include the student’s present levels of performance, annual goals for the student, the services the student will receive, any accommodations to the learning environment, and any changes to standardized testing. All students at Social Justice Humanitas Academy receive support services in the general education setting, meaning our special education teachers “push in” to their regular classes, rather than pulling them out of class for support. Students are pulled out of class for related services such as counseling and speech therapy.

To find out more about Special Education services and evaluation for a 504 plan or IEP, contact your student’s counselor or Ms. Aguilar, Assistant Principal.