Student Services Home

Student Services provides leadership and oversight for special education programs and services across the district. This includes supporting instructional programming, related services, individualized supports, staff collaboration, and service delivery models that help meet the needs of eligible students.

The district’s Child Find responsibilities include identifying, locating, and evaluating students in preschool through eighth grade who may need special education and related services. Student Services supports early intervention, referral processes, family communication, and access to appropriate evaluations.

Support for Individualized Education Programs includes collaboration with school teams and families to develop, implement, and review services for eligible students. This work helps ensure that goals, accommodations, modifications, and supports are aligned with each student’s unique needs.

Related service providers and school based teams work together to address students’ academic, communication, social emotional, behavioral, functional, and developmental needs. This coordinated approach helps ensure that services are connected, responsive, and focused on student growth.

Student Services serves as the district liaison with the Special Education District of Lake County to coordinate services, placements, communication, and support for students who require specialized programming. This partnership helps ensure that students and families receive appropriate services through coordinated planning and collaboration.

Students and families experiencing homelessness receive support with school access, continuity of services, enrollment, transportation coordination, and connection to available resources. This work promotes stability, dignity, and educational access for students facing housing insecurity.

Strong family partnerships are essential to student success. Student Services supports clear communication, family participation in meetings and planning, understanding of services and processes, and collaborative relationships among families, schools, and service providers.

Student services and special education practices are aligned with district procedures, Illinois requirements, and federal laws, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This includes support for timelines, documentation, evaluations, eligibility processes, procedural safeguards, service implementation, and required reporting.

Staff receive guidance, consultation, and professional learning related to supporting students with disabilities and other student service needs. Areas of support include special education procedures, instructional strategies, accommodations, behavior supports, inclusive practices, and compliance responsibilities.

Equitable access, inclusive practices, and continuous improvement guide the work of Student Services. Through data review, collaboration, program evaluation, and responsive planning, services and supports are strengthened so that students have the opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed.