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Special Education

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Our Mission and Vision

Vision Statement

Meaningful and measurable progress for students of all abilities.

Mission Statement

The mission of Special Education in Wasatch County School District is to enrich the educational process for students of all abilities by 1) facilitating meaningful access to resources at home, in school, and the community, 2) fostering meaningful relationships with students, their parents, teachers, and peers, 3) sustaining accountability for student competence in academic areas, and 4) providing access to a safe, healthy lifestyle.

District Special Education Team

Claire Mair

Special Education Director

Holly Rognan

Special Education Coach

Kaeli Bills

Special Education Assistant

School-Based Teams

Heber Valley Elementary–

Erik Killion- Learning Lab Teacher erik.killion@wasatch.edu

Loida Alba- Resource Teacher loida.alba@wasatch.edu

Amy Howarth- Learning Lab amy.howarth@wasatch.edu

Stefanie Mickelson–Speech Pathologist stefanie.mickelson@wasatch.edu

Carrie Nichols- Speech Pathologist carrie.nichols@wasatch.edu

JR Smith Elementary

Katie Knight– Learning Lab Teacher katie.knight@wasatch.edu

Katelynn Ramage- Learning Lab katelynn.ramage@wasatch.edu

Laura Ong–Resource Teacher laura.ong@wasatch.edu

Shelby Taylor- Resource Teacher shelby.taylor@wasatch.edu

Kim Stoddard–Speech Pathologist kim.stoddard@wasatch.edu

Elizabeth Levy-Speech Pathologist elizabeth.levy@wasatch.edu

Elizabeth Lang- Learning Lab elizabeth.lang@wasatch.edu

Travis Hepworth–Resource Teacher travis.hepworth@wasatch.edu

Rachel Spencer–Resource Teacher rachel.spencer@wasatch.edu

Sherri Burgener–Speech Pathologist sherri.burgener@wasatch.edu

Lauren Chevalier–Learning Lab Teacher lauren.chevalier@wasatch.edu

Sandra Barker–Resource Teacher sandra.barker@wasatch.edu

Christina DeJong– Resource Teacher christina.dejong@wasatch.edu

MacKenzie Sproul- Speech Technician mackenzie.sproul@wasatch.edu

Lindsey Kurlan–Speech Pathologist lindsey.myers@wasatch.edu

Carrie Nichols- Speech Pathologist carrie.nichols@wasatch.edu

Alicia Brown- Speech Tech alicia.brown@wasatch.edu

Sara Lindemann- Learning Lab Teacher sara.lindemann@wasatch.edu

Marckee Belliston- Resource Teacher marckee.belliston@wasatch.edu

Colette Busboom- Resource Teacher colette.busboom@wasatch.edu

Shauna Jarvis- Speech Pathologist shauna.jarvis@wasatch.edu

McKay Johnson- Speech Pathologist mckay.johnson@wasatch.edu

Wasatch Learning Academy

Abby Cook- Learning Lab Teacher abigail.cook@wasatch.edu

Kristin Hellmann- Resource Teacher kristin.hellmann@wasatch.edu

Jen Buttars- Resource Teacher jen.buttars@wasatch.edu

Karyn Anderson- Resource Teacher karyn.anderson@wasatch.edu

Anna White–Learning Lab Teacher anna.white@wasatch.edu

Jennifer Howell–Resource TeacherJennifer.howell@wasatch.edu

Jessica Potter- Resource Teacher jessica.potter@wasatch.edu

Kristin Irish- Resource Teacher kristin.irish@wasatch.edu

Nancy Covarrubias- Speech Pathologist nancy.covarrubias@wasatch.edu

Glenda Gray–Learning Lab Teacher glenda.gray@wasatch.edu

AbrieAnn Wright- Learning Lab abrieann.wright@wasatch.edu

Mary McKee–Resource Teacher mary.mckee@wasatch.edu

Cambry Fischer- Resource Teacher cambry.fischer@wasatch.edu

Michelle Brown- Resource Teacher michelle.brown@wasatch.edu

Vicki Hunsaker- Speech Pathologist vicki.hunsaker@wasatch.edu

Wasatch High School

Sami Graham- Learning Lab Teacher sami.graham@wasatch.edu

Candy Peterson- Learning Lab Teacher candylynne.peterson@wasatch.edu

Amy Bos- Learning Lab Teacher amy.bos@wasatch.edu

Amy Chapman- Learning Lab Teacher amy.chapman@wasatch.edu

Jerold Baum–Resource Teacher jerold.baum@wasatch.edu

Mindy Brooks–Resource Teacher mindy.brooks@wasatch.edu

Melissa Bulloch–Resource Teacher melissa.bulloch@wasatch.edu

Megan Harwin – Resource Teacher megan.harwin@wasatch.edu

Lindsay Benson- Resource Teacher lindsay.benson@wasatch.edu

Camee Wilson- Resource Teacher camee.wilson@wasatch.edu

Derik Bringhurst- Resource Teacher derik.bringhurst@wasatch.edu

Katie Searles- Resource Teacher katie.searles@wasatch.edu

Jordan Gurr- Resource Teacher jordan.gurr@wasatch.edu

Elizabeth Griffin- Speech Pathologist elizabeth.griffin@wasatch.edu

Rebecca Wilson- Speech Technician rebecca.wilson@wasatch.edu

Transition Program

Lane House- Transition Specialist lane.house@wasatch.edu

Lindsay Jepperson- Transition Specialist lindsay.jepperson@wasatch.edu

Related Service Providers

Ben Springer- School Psychologist ben.springer@wasatch.edu

Bridgett Bakula–School Psychologist bridgett.bakula@wasatch.edu

Jeff Pitts–School Psychologist jeff.pitts@wasatch.edu

Ben Ooi- School Psychologist ben.ooi@wasatch.edu

Tara Boswell–Preschool Instructional Coach tara.boswell@wasatch.edu

Kelsey Decker– Physical Therapist kelsey.decker@wasatch.edu

Andreanna Rodriquez– Occupational Therapist andreanna.rodriquez@wasatch.edu

Karen Ramirez– Occupational Therapist karen.ramirez@wasatch.edu

Courtney Benner- Occupational Therapist courtney.benner@wasatch.edu

MacKenzie Sproul- Vision Specialist mackenzie.sproul@wasatch.edu

Carla Bedingfield– Adaptive P.E. Instructor carla.bedingfield@wasatch.edu

Macy Risto- Motor Aide macy.risto@wasatch.edu

Janalee Hendry- Motor Aide janalee.hendry@wasatch.edu

Catherine Jenson-Koens- Motor Aide catherine.jenson-koens@wasatch.edu

Jenny Rowser- Motor Aide jenniffer.rowser@wasatch.edu

Melanie Risto- Motor Aide melanie.risto@wasatch.edu

Pre-School

Tara Boswell–Preschool Instructional Coach tara.boswell@wasatch.edu

Genny Tayler- Preschool Speech & Language genny.tayler@wasatch.edu

Alison Veselka–Preschool Teacher alison.veselka@wasatch.edu

Julie Patterson–Preschool Teacher julie.patterson@wasatch.edu

Jessica Puett- Preschool Teacher jessica.puett@wasatch.edu

Erica Johnson- Preschool Teacher erica.johnson@wasatch.edu

Services for Students with Disabilities

Wasatch County School District offers a full range of educational services for students with disabilities who live within Wasatch County boundaries.

Young children, ages three-to-five, with severe delays in language, motor, cognitive, or adaptive development can receive a free and appropriate education in our preschool program.

Services, which include assessment, instruction, and evaluation, are also provided for students who qualify under federal and state guidelines, ages five to twenty-two (and have not graduated from high school).

A student whose disability does not need specialized instruction to benefit from education but could appropriately utilize specific interventions could possibly qualify for accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504. These services are provided in all our district schools and are available for anyone who resides within our district boundaries.

If you know of anyone who might qualify and would be interested in taking advantage of these special services or if you have any questions about any of these programs, contact Claire Mair at Wasatch School District Offices, 435-654-0280.

Additional Services

Behavioral Health

Wasatch County School District provides school psychology services including assessment, intervention, as well as parent and teacher consultation services. School psychologists help children and youth succeed academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally. They collaborate with educators, parents, and other professionals to create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments that strengthen connections between home, school, and the community for all students. Feel free to visit the national and local associations of school psychologists for details!

Speech/Language Therapy

Wasatch County School District employs a team of Speech and Language Pathologists and Technicians. SLPs and SLTs work with individual school teams to provide assessment, intervention as well as Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Typically, SLPs and SLTs help students with articulation, feeding and swallowing needs, communication disorders, and social skills instruction.

Each school has a qualified speech therapist to evaluate students and make recommendations for program implementation. Services are provided by a certified speech/language pathologist or a speech/language technician who has been trained by certified personnel.

Occupational/Physical Therapy

Wasatch County School District employs certified Occupational and Physical Therapists and Therapy Aides to help school teams address both the fine and gross motor skills of eligible students.

Transportation

Transportation services are offered to all students unable to walk or ride the regular school bus. Paraeducators are on the buses when needed to ensure student safety.

Transition Resources

Community Links

Higher Education

Disability Info

Organization of Special Education in Wasatch County School District

Values/Collective Commitments

There are four primary programs/services that make-up the organization of Special Education Services in Wasatch:

I). Curriculum Modification & Support

Modifying the curriculum to meet the individualized needs of eligible students is essentially the whole purpose of special education programming. Our wonderful faculty and staff across both general and special education are responsible for making meaningful modifications and facilitating appropriate access for eligible students.

Students become eligible for special education when they meet ALL three of the following criteria:

1). The child must have a disability.

2). The child’s disability must adversely affect the educational performance.

3). The child’s disability necessitates modification of the general curriculum

These eligibility criteria have been set forth by both State and Federal Guidelines and are often referred to as the “Three Prongs of Special Education Eligibility.”

WCSD employs teams of highly qualified assessment professionals including early childhood specialists, teachers, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and school psychologists to help determine eligibility for special education.

While WCSD strives to provide the highest quality curriculum modifications and supports, it is our philosophy that students of all abilities learn best when educated with their typically developing peers. As such, our efforts to provide special education is accomplished collaboratively with general education teachers, principals, and of course, parents.

II). Related Services

WCSD is fortunate to employ a robust clinical team of licensed and nationally certified professionals across the areas of speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, nursing, vision, and school psychology. In addition to these clinical services, WCSD is fortunate to be able to provide transportation as a related service for eligible students.

In the school systems, teams with clinical training are often referred to as “Related Service Providers.” This distinction is an important one because access to these services is typically provided only in relation to the student’s progress in the general curriculum. In other words, Related Services must be connected in some way to the child’s access to instruction. If a child is not eligible for special education, they are not eligible for related services.

Again, these policies have been established by both State and Federal guidelines regarding the provision of services for eligible students. WCSD employs multiple related service providers to meet the needs of eligible students. Please visit the Special Education faculty and staff page to learn more about the services they provide.

III). Parent Committee

In addition to the multiple school-based services WCSD is proud to provide, the PEAK (Parents Empowering Abled Kids) Committee is one of the most crucial components to our programming in special education. With the goal of building quality relationships between parents and our faculty, the inclusion of parents is critically important.

WCSD is fortunate to have an independent, strong, and collaborative parent committee dedicated to learning about (and contributing to) special education in WCSD. Please feel free to contact Kaeli Bills at kaeli.bills@wasatch.edu for the most up-to-date PEAK Committee contact list.

IV). Transition (Post-High School Programming)

WCSD is proud to offer a comprehensive post-high school program focusing on college, career, and work-based learning objectives for eligible students ranging in ages from 18-to-22. Each student in WCSD works towards within a “transition plan” starting at the beginning of their 8th grade year. These plans are designed to keep an eye on goals related to post-school settings such as college, vocation, independent living, etc.

Please feel free to contact Claire Mair with any questions and/or concerns regarding Special Education in Wasatch County School District at claire.mair@wasatch.edu.

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