Special Education
Our Student Services team is dedicated to providing professional and efficient support services that contribute to the success of our students, staff and community.
Contact Us
4042 Fairview Industrial Drive SE
Salem, OR 97302
503-399-3101
Office Hours
Monday-Friday
7:30 AM-4:30 PM
Is My Student Eligible for Special Education?
All students, birth to 21 years old, may be eligible for specially designed special education services. Students qualify under guidelines established by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA.
Eligibility Categories
- Intellectual disability
- Deafness or being hard of hearing
- Deaf-blindness
- Visual impairment, including blindness
- Speech or language impairment
- Emotional behavior disability
- Orthopedic impairment
- Other health impairment
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Specific learning disability
- Traumatic brain injury
- Developmental delay (kindergarten to age 9)
Special Education Referral Process
School districts must locate, identify and evaluate all resident children with suspected or established disabilities. This is called Child Find.
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All referrals start at the neighborhood school. Trained staff, which might include a school psychologist, speech clinician, testing specialist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, autism consultant or behavior specialist, will complete observations, conduct diagnostic evaluations and gather information from a variety of sources.
- When a student is referred for special education, an evaluation may be recommended. All initial evaluations begin with signed parental consent and knowledge from the parent/guardian. Parent/guardian input is encouraged at all stages of the evaluation, eligibility, IEP development and placement decision.
Special Education Parent Advisory Council
SEPAC connects parents, guardians, and school administration on the planning, development, and evaluation of special needs programs.
Student Services Teams
- Assistive Technology
- Augmentiatve Communication
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Team (ASD)
- Employment Specialists
- Health Services
- Occupational and Physical Therapists (OT/PT)
- Program Associates
- Psychologists
- Speech Language Pathologists (SLP)
- Testing Specialists