Through an individualized educational program, prepare students to become productive citizens within our community.

The goal of the Special Education Department is to meet each student’s individual needs. Through collaboration with related services, general education, administration, and parents we are able to define and address the needs of our students. We are proud to be able to offer a full continuum of services beginning from birth through graduation. With an emphasis on inclusion, our teams proactively discuss each student’s needs within the least restrictive environment.

DISTRICT
Executive Director
Shay Carter (Oversight of the Special Education Department)

Coordinators
Lauren Averill - (Oversight of Trail Ridge Middle, Pioneer Ridge Middle and Gardner Edgerton High, CPI, ESY, Motor, Alternate Assessments, and Curriculum)

Kelly Edwards - (Oversight of Gardner Elementary, Grand Star Elementary, and Madison Elementary, Out-of-district placements, nurse liaison, and professional development) 

Todd McCarthy - (Oversight of Nike Elementary and Wheatridge Middle School, and Psych Evals at Gardner Edgerton. Gifted Services, Speech-Language Pathologists, Psychologists, Social Workers, and Interns, Out of district placements, and behavior specialists) 

Pshyra Bedell - (Oversight of Edgerton Elementary and Sunflower Elementary, and Moonlight Elementary. Early childhood, Infant-Toddler services, child find, Parents As Teachers, peer students, paraeducators, and professional development for paraeducators) 

Administrative Assistants
Missy Burling - MIS Clerk

Christing Hiles - MIS Clerk

Rose O'Dea - EC-12 Special Services (including ELL, and Special Education)

Angie Plank - EC-12 Special Services (including Special Education)

CONTACT
Administrative Offices
231 E. Madison Street (physical address)
P.O. Box 97 (mailing address)
Gardner, Kansas 66030
Phone: (913) 856-2080

Continuum of Services

USD 231 provides a continuum of special education services for students. The continuum of services identifies different service delivery models for providing specially designed instruction to students with disabilities. Some services, such as consultant teachers and integrated co-teaching services, are designed to support the student in his/her general education class. Others may or may not be provided in settings with nondisabled peers, depending on the student's needs.

The student’s IEP team determines the settings for students who receive special education services to meet their unique learning needs. Each building provides inter-related resource services (IR), speech, and occupational therapy. Gifted services are offered at all middle and high school levels; elementary gifted students are housed in one building, and students are transported from other elementary schools for services. IR services meet the needs of most students with mild to moderate learning needs.

Early Childhood
Located in each elementary school building.

The Early Childhood Special Education program aims to provide early intervention services to children aged 3-5 (who are not yet kindergarten-eligible) who exhibit severe developmental delays. These delays are addressed through an Individual Education Plan (IEP). 

Special Education Preschool Classrooms: These classrooms have approximately half children with special education needs and half serving as peer models. Student needs are met through individualized, specially designed instruction within the classroom setting. Sessions are four half-days per week.

Specialized Programming for Severe Communication Delays: Structured learning environment for children exhibiting severe delays in communication. Peer models are integrated based on individual student needs. Sessions are four half-days per week.

Community-Based or Itinerant Services: Special education and/or related services delivered in the child’s existing daycare/preschool in the Gardner Edgerton school district boundaries or in a small group of students with similar needs at a district elementary school. These services are usually provided once or twice weekly but vary depending on student needs.

Peer Model Program: Children with typically developing skills serve as peer models for children with special education needs in the Early Childhood Special Education preschool classroom. Peers must meet specific criteria, and space is limited.

Parents as Teachers: Family supports and services for children birth to three years old. Includes direct supports for families and children and community groups and activities (i.e., potty training groups, playgroups, etc.).

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Interrelated Resource Program
Located in all elementary/ middle schools and the high school.

The program assists students in accessing the general education curriculum and standards through specially designed instruction. It is designed to support individual needs by providing service in skill deficits through academic interventions, explicit teaching, social/ emotional supports, and strategies. The program's goal is for students to become independent in using these skills so they may successfully participate in general education. 

Student needs: The program supports students who often demonstrate significant skill deficits that prevent them from accessing the general education curriculum without specially designed instruction. These supports could be in one or more of the following areas: Learning Disability (LD), Emotional Disability (ED), Intellectual Disability (ID), Other Health Impairment (OHI), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and others.

Staff: The program teacher usually serves 12-25 students. The IR teacher works collaboratively with general education teachers and related service providers to maximize meaningful access to the general education curriculum and ensure the provision of accommodations and modifications as described in the IEP. IR teachers are an integral part of the school’s problem-solving teams, often providing expertise to staff and sometimes specific interventions as part of the problem-solving process. (Limited to 18 weeks or less in an instructional year.) 

Specially Designed Instruction: Instruction is based on each student’s individual needs, and service is provided as needed in skill deficits through academic interventions, explicit teaching, social/emotional supports, and strategies. IR classrooms utilize a variety of service-delivery models, including pull-out models, push-in models, co-teaching models, and other creative solutions.

Inclusion: Special Education students are General Education students FIRST. IR classrooms utilize paraeducator involvement. General education support for students may be provided by either an IR teacher or a paraeducator. However, special education teachers are expected to participate in the classroom, preferably co-teaching actively.

**Under direct IR teacher supervision, paraeducators may deliver instruction in small group settings. The IR teacher does not have to be physically present but must provide the lesson planning and guidance for the paraeducator. A para may not be the sole source of instruction.

Specialized Program Classrooms
Special Education services in USD 231 are provided in the Least Restrictive Environment and the student’s home school whenever possible.  For some students with intensive learning, behavioral, and/or social skills needs, specialized program classrooms are available to provide highly structured and highly individualized programming that addresses individual needs.

What is different about a Specialized Program Classroom?
Students from across the district come to a particular location that serves students’ needs most appropriately.

• Services are specialized

• The staffing ratio may be smaller

• The staff may have specialized training

• The setting may have specialized equipment or structures such as quiet spaces, sensory rooms, private bathrooms, etc.

Life Skills Program
Specialized Programs for the Development and Application of Life Skills.
Located  in selected elementary/ middle schools and the high school.

The program provides a structured learning environment and inclusion support to increase students' ability to master appropriate functional life and vocational skills.  The program's goal is for students to become independent in using these skills to successfully participate in the general education and the community.  Students are also provided vocational opportunities to explore potential careers after graduation.

Student Needs: The program supports students who often demonstrate severe delays in language development, processing/cognition, adaptive skills, and/or functional application of academic skills.  Some students depend on adults for all self-care, including feeding, transferring, toileting, dressing, and navigating their environment safely.  Other students may be independent during parts of their day but require more explicit instruction to master new skills.

Staff: Teachers in the program usually have smaller caseloads to enable them to plan and implement the intensive services for students and to address concerns as they arise.  Support staff are specifically trained to support individual student needs, including reinforcement of related service strategies, delegatable health services, and use of adaptive equipment. 

Specially Designed Instruction: Direct instruction is based on individual student needs and includes (but is not limited to) academic, functional, vocational, behavioral, and social areas.   The program typically provides students with routine-based instruction and multiple opportunities for skill application to help achieve individual IEP goals. Learning targets are aligned with appropriate state or extended standards.

Inclusion: The program is located in a district school, and students often receive instruction in a combination of special and general education environments.  Predictable routines, modified expectations, and adaptive equipment facilitate access to and progress in the general education classroom. Inclusion services also aim to increase student independence and generalization of skills taught in other learning environments.

Reaching Independence by Strengthening Emotional Skills (RISE)
Specialized Program for Strengthening Emotional and Behavioral Skills
Located in selected elementary/ middle schools and the high school.

The program provides a structured environment and inclusion support designed to increase student's ability to self-regulate their emotions and behavior. The program's goal is for students to become independent in using these strategies to participate and learn successfully in the general education classroom. In elementary schools, the program is often called “RISE,” which stands for Reaching Independence by Strengthening Emotional Skills.

Student Needs: The program supports students with internalizing and externalizing behaviors. It targets social, emotional, and behavioral skills that require sustained and intense interventions to address behaviors that significantly impede the student's learning. 

Staff: Teachers in the program usually have smaller caseloads to enable them to plan and implement the intensive services for individual students and address concerns as they arise. Support staff are specifically trained to consistently support student needs and respond to significant behaviors in a safe and effective manner.  

Specially Designed Instruction: Direct instruction is based on individual student needs and includes (but is not limited to) academic, behavioral, social, and emotional areas.  The program typically provides students with individual regulation strategies and reinforcement systems to help achieve their IEP goals.

Inclusion: The program is located in a district school, and students typically attend the general education classroom for instruction unless behaviors interrupt their learning.  Consistent response strategies, reinforcement, and specific staff training facilitate student progress in the classroom.

Communications Program
Specialized Program for Strengthening Language, Communication, and Social Skills
Located in selected elementary/ middle schools and the high school.

The program provides a structured learning environment and inclusion support designed to increase students' access to and use of communication and social skills. The program aims for students to become independent in using these skills. Hence, they can access and progress in the general education classroom and their individual education plans.

Student Needs: The program supports students with severe delays in language and/or functional communication skills, including using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) when appropriate. As students progress, programs also provide intensive services to students with pragmatic, social, and figurative language needs and difficulty with perspective-taking.

Staff: Teachers in the program usually have smaller caseloads to enable them to plan and implement the intensive services for individual students and address concerns as they arise. Support staff are specifically trained to consistently support student needs and respond to behaviors that may result from communication and social skills deficits in a safe and effective manner.  

Specially Designed Instruction: Direct instruction is based on individual student needs and includes (but is not limited to) academic, adaptive/functional, behavior, and social areas.  The program typically provides students with a structured environment, predictable routines, visual supports, and attention to sensory needs to help achieve individual IEP goals. Highly motivating activities with strict reinforcement schedules may be used to prevent behavior difficulties and build positive behavior strategies.

Inclusion: The program is located in a district school building, and instruction may occur in general and special education environments, depending on the students' needs.   Consistent response strategies, reinforcement, modified tasks, and specific staff training facilitate student participation and progress in the classroom.

TRAILS (18-21 Year Program)
Specialized Program for Adults in Development and Application of Daily Living and Vocational Skills
Located adjacent to Gardner Edgerton High School.

Gardner Edgerton’s TRAILS program provides post-high services to students 18-21 years of age who require individually designed services to prepare to live as adults in their community as independently as possible. Students are eligible for the program due to the incompletion of IEP goals related to daily living and vocational skills. While in the program, students will continue to receive instruction and support in the areas of daily living and vocational skills. 

Student Needs: The program supports students who have not mastered IEP goals in independent living, daily living, and/or vocational skills. The IEP team decides post-high transition services eligibility no later than the student’s annual IEP review during the student’s 4th year of high school.  IEP teams are encouraged to begin discussion of continued services beginning March of the second semester of the school year of consideration. In addition to the student’s needs and post-secondary goals, reasonable expectations of the young adult’s post-secondary training, employment, and independent living situation should also be considered in determining the amount of services. 

Staff: Teachers in the program usually have smaller caseloads to enable them to plan and implement the intensive services for students and to address concerns as they arise.  Support staff are specifically trained to support individual student needs, including reinforcement of related service strategies, delegatable health services, and use of adaptive equipment. 

Specially Designed Instruction: Certified staff plan individually and use evidence-based practices to instruct on functional and practical independent living, vocational, and social goals. These programs are designed to provide young adult students with what they will need and use in life immediately following their post-high transition services.

Inclusion: Building-based learning activities are both individual and small-group-based. Instruction and skill application are carried out in community sites to the maximum extent possible. These sites include, but are not limited to, work sites, retail sites and stores, libraries, recreation and leisure community sites, adult service providers, and non-profit volunteer sites.

Important Information: Students participating in post-high transition services may participate in a social commencement at their home high school. However, they will not receive their diploma until they meet their IEP goals or exit services by aging out.  The diploma will be dated with their exit date, not social commencement participation.

Giftedness Program
Special Education Services for Performing at Significantly Higher Levels of Accomplishment in One or more Academic Fields
Located  in selected elementary/ middle schools and the high school.

The program provides support and services to challenge gifted learners beyond the general education curriculum and provide opportunities for them to explore personal growth based on their unique needs and interests. The program aims for students to become independent and utilize their skills to perform successfully within the general education setting and the community.  

Student Needs: The program supports students who often demonstrate (but not limited to) “good” thinking, ease or speed of learning, advanced verbal abilities, advanced receptive language that can be observed, exceptional memory/concentration/attention, and/or perseverance or motivation. 

Staff: The program's teachers usually have smaller caseloads, enabling them to plan and implement unique services for students with this exceptionality. 

Specially Designed Instruction: Direct instruction is based on individual student needs and aims to assist students in understanding and utilizing their giftedness.  The program typically provides students with routine-based instruction and multiple opportunities for skill application to help achieve individual IEP goals. Learning targets are aligned with appropriate state or extended standards.

Inclusion: The program is located in a district school, and students often receive instruction in a combination of special and general education environments.