Special Education Services
Mission & Vision
The Special Services Department applies an equity lens to ensure that all students in the San Lorenzo Unified School District
achieve high levels of learning, preparing them for success in college, career, and life beyond.
To achieve this,
- Will provide high-quality, inclusive instruction
- All staff will expect and support active student engagement in the learning process.
- All staff will actively participate in collaboration focused on student achievement.
- Ensure access to the general education curriculum through inclusive practices and collaborative teaching models.
- Implement evidence-based interventions tailored to meet diverse academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs
What is Special Education?
California Education Code (Section 56031) defines special education as:
Specially designed instruction that addresses the unique needs of individuals with exceptional needs whose educational goals cannot be met through modifications of the general education program. It also includes related services that enable these students to benefit from such specialized instruction. Special education is an essential component of the overall public education system.
Key features of special education include:
- Inclusive opportunities: Instruction and services are provided in ways that promote maximum interaction between students with and without disabilities, while respecting the needs of both.
- No cost to families: Services are delivered free of charge to parents.
- Comprehensive options: A full range of program options is available to address the educational and service needs of students with exceptional needs in the least restrictive environment (LRE). The LRE is typically the setting most comparable to those attended by general education students.
Who is eligible for Special Education services?
A student, ages 3 through 22, having one or more of the following thirteen Federally defined disabling conditions that adversely affect his or her educational performance, may be eligible to receive special education services.
- Autism
- Deaf blindness
- Deafness
- Hearing impairment, (Hard of Hearing)
- Intellectual Disability
- Multiple disabilities
- Orthopedic impairment
- Other health impairments
- Serious emotional disturbance
- Specific learning disability
- Speech or language impairment
- Traumatic brain injury
- Visual impairment
Eligibility is determined through an assessment process that identifies one or more impairments that prevent a student from achieving his/her potential. A student may be performing significantly below the district’s standards and additional interventions may be necessary for the student to maximize access to the educational program.