Special Education

Overview

The Mount Clemens Community School District offers a full continuum of program/service options designed to meet the individual needs of eligible students with disabilities from birth through age 26.  While emphasis is placed on educating all students in integrated settings to the maximum extent appropriate, placement decisions must be based on individual student needs and desired outcomes, and must be rooted in the Individual Educational Planning Team (IEPT) process. Parent involvement is an integral part of programming.

Student Study Team

The Student Study Team is a problem-solving process that may be used by teachers and parents to help address learning or behavioral differences. At the meeting, specific learning challenges are identified and intervention strategies are decided upon. The team may reconvene as many times as necessary to resolve the concern.

Evaluations

Mount Clemens Community Schools is committed to providing students with disabilities a free and appropriate public education consistent with federal and state laws. Mount Clemens Community Schools provides evaluations for students who are suspected of having a disability under IDEA (the federal special education law) and/or Section 504. If there is reason to suspect that the student has a disability, staff may use the MTSS referral process to recommend an evaluation. Parental consent will be requested prior to evaluation. Following the 504 or special education evaluation, a team meeting is held to review the evaluation data and develop an appropriate program for the student.

Special Education Classroom Programs

Resource programs are available in all buildings and at all levels K-12. All these programs serve students with a variety of disabilities including emotional, cognitive, speech/language, hearing, vision, physical/health impairments and learning disabilities. Teachers in these programs are endorsed in one or more areas of special education. The IEP Team determines the amount and type of support that the student will receive from the resource program.

At the secondary level, grades 6-12, the resource programs are departmentalized; students may move from class to class and may see more than one resource teacher based on the subjects they are taking within the special education department.

At Seminole Academy, Mount Clemens Middle School and Mount Clemens High School there self-contained programs for students who have more significant challenges and need most of their instruction in a special education classroom. These programs focus on basic academics, life skills, and prevocational education, and might include students who have been found eligible under the categories of cognitive impairment, physical impairment, autism, emotional impairment, or any other disability, which requires intensive support from a team of educators.

M. L. King, Jr.  Academy has an Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) program that serves preschool-aged children with disabilities who require a specialized classroom setting (i.e., their needs cannot be met in a typical preschool or day care setting).

Special Education Related Services

Mount Clemens Community Schools has a wide range of related services available within to meet the individual needs of eligible students. These include speech/language therapy, school social work services, occupational and physical therapy, and teacher consultant services. Transition plans are developed for all eligible students beginning at age 16 or younger if appropriate. The high school transition coordinator in collaboration with Michigan Rehabilitation Services and Special Education Caseload Teachers oversee community placements for secondary students who have that need. Functional Behavior Assessments are conducted for students at all levels whose behavior impedes their own learning or the learning of others, and Behavior Intervention Plans are developed, as necessary, by the IEP Team. Appropriate related services are identified through the IEPT process.

Center-Based Options

Some students have specific needs, which are best addressed in specialized settings. These students are identified through the IEP Team process. Mount Clemens students have access to several center-based programs, which are operated by the Macomb Intermediate School District. These may include programs for students who have been identified under the categories of cognitive impairment, severe multiple impairment, autism, hearing impairment, and physical impairment. Prevocational training is available at the post-secondary level. Mount Clemens youngest residents, those ages 0-3, may be served through Early Intervention services provided by the Macomb Infant Preschool Program (MIPP).

Recommended Process for Determining the Existence of a Specific Learning Disability

MISD Process for the ID of an SLD

For evaluations or referrals, or if you have specific questions about programming under IDEA or Section 504, please contact David Lavender, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Human Resources.