The District's vision is to be an exemplary school district which inspires and promotes high standards of learning and student well being in partnership with parents, guardians, and the community.

Special Education

Special education has been a federally mandated program to serve educationally disabled children, ages 3 to 21 since passage of Public Law 94-142, also know as the Equal Education for the Handicapped Act, in 1975 and preauthorized and re-titled in 1990 as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). As a result of this mandate, the St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) presently provides education services for students identified as having mild to profound disabilities in the areas of: perception/communication, speech/language, emotional, vision, hearing, intellectual, and physical.

The identification of an educational disability and the necessary services to be provided to address the students needs is a function of a "staffing" process. The staffing involves parents, school administrators, regular education teacher(s), special education personnel and the student when appropriate. An Individual Education Plan (IEP) for the student is developed by the staffing team and reviewed yearly with modification made, if necessary.

SVVSD offers a continuum of services delivered by special education staff members ranging from consultation with regular education teachers to varying amounts of direct services to students with disabilities depending on need. These support services are provided through building level special education staff and itinerant related service providers (e.g. speech/language, occupational therapists, etc.)

Funding for special education comes from the District's general fund and Federal grants.

Special education programming (services) for students with educational disabilities in the SVVSD stems from the intent of the "least restrictive environment" (LRE) portion of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). LRE requires that a student with disabilities be educated with students who do not have disabilities, unless the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily. The District's philosophy relative to "inclusion" stems from the LRE section of the law. It is our belief that students with disabilities should be educated with their typical peers, unless their needs are better addressed through amore specialized educational environment.

It's also the District's belief that special education is not a place, but rather a variety of services for students with disabilities (i.e. it is an array of resources for schools, not an educational system separate from regular education.

For information related to programs available for special needs children in the Boulder County area, please see the Boulder County Resource Directory. For additional information or questions on the District's programs, please contact the Director of Student Services at (303) 772 - 7700 and or visit the Department's Special Education site.

Special Education Department