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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

    School-Based Teams

    Heber Valley Elementary–

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

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

    Janessa Judd- Resource Teacher janessa.judd@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 katie.knight@wasatch.edu

    Betsy Metcalf- Learning Lab elizabeth.metcalf@wasatch.edu

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

    Tracy Sjostrom- Resource Teacher tracy.sjostrom@wasatch.edu

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

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

     

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

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

    Rachael Spencer- Resource Teacher rachael.spencer@wasatch.edu

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

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

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

    Tara Saar- Resource Teacher tara.saar@wasatch.edu

    Lindsey Kurlan- Speech Pathologist lindsey.kurlan@wasatch.edu

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

    Rikki Rhoades- Speech Techncian rikki.rhoades@wasatch.edu

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

    Shauna Goates- Resource Teacher shauna.goates@wasatch.edu

    Emilie Arrix- Resource Teacher emilie.arrix@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 abigail.cook@wasatch.edu

    Greta Gokey- Resource Teacher greta.gokey@wasatch.edu

    Jennifer Lee- Resource Teacher jennifer.lee@wasatch.edu

    Kali Bush- Resource Teacher kali.bush@wasatch.edu

    Katelynn Ramage- Learning Lab katelynn.ramage@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

    Kimberli Ackerson- Speech Pathologist kimberli.ackerson@wasatch.edu

    Jenna Haynie- Speech Technician jenna.haynie@wasatch.edu

    Wasatch High School

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

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

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

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

    Lindsay Benson- Resource Teacher lindsay.benson@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

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

    DeShawn Perkins- Resource Teacher deshawn.perkins@wasatch.edu

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

    Forrest Filetti- Resource Teacher forrest.filetti@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 jeffrey.pitts@wasatch.edu

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

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

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

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

    Abe Geake- Occupational Therpist abraham.geake@wasatch.edu

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

    Carla Bedingfield- Adaptive PE 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 and Language genevieve.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

    Amanda Bitner- Preschool Teacher amanda.bitner@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.