SPECIAL EDUCATION
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children. District staff identify and evaluate students with suspected impairments from the ages of 3-21. Parents, school staff, or community members may make a referral for consideration of special education needs by contacting the school psychologist of the respective building that your child attends or the Director of Pupil Services and Special Education.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Jackie Winter
Director of Pupil Services
414.525.8404
jwinter@whitnall.com
Joan Furru-West
Administrative Assistant, Special Edcuation
414.525.8440
jfurruwest@whitnall.com
Children who qualify for special education receive individualized education plans (IEPs), to best meet their unique learning needs. An IEP is developed by a child’s team, to identify personal goals and services a child will receive to best support their disability-related needs. Guardians are active participants in the evaluation and IEP process. Please see the attached link to more information regarding procedural safeguards.
Per Wisconsin Administrative Code, Section PI 11.36, Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction provides criteria for special education disability category identification that a student may qualify under through a comprehensive evaluation:
- Autism
- Deafblind
- Emotional Behavior Disability
- Hearing
- Intellectual
- Other Health Impaired
- Orthopedic Impairment
- Significant Developmental Delay
- Specific Learning Disability
- Speech and Language
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Vision