Student Services

To assist all our students in achieving their individual potential, the North Salem Central School District employs specialists in various fields. The role of the specialist is to support the students in their educational, emotional, physical, and social growth through direct contact with students and consultation with the teaching staff and parents.

Student Services offered include: health, speech and language, occupational and physical therapy, reading and mathematics remediation, special education, guidance, psychological, social work, and home tutoring services. Services are provided in accordance with district and state guidelines.

Special Education

The Committee on Special Education

By law, each school district must have a Committee on Special Education (CSE). Students are referred for evaluation to the CSE when it is suspected that a disability impacts their ability to learn in the regular school environment, even with support provided through building level services.

The committee members include the following persons: Chairperson of the CSE, a psychologist, a teacher or administrator of special education, the child’s regular education teacher, the child’s parent, a parent member (parent of a child with a disability) and the student, when appropriate. Others may attend at the invitation of the CSE or the parent.

The CSE meets on a regular basis to make recommendations regarding the eligibility and education of children with special needs. Decisions are made as a team, with the parents as critical members, after reviewing all of the data presented at the CSE meeting.

If the child is eligible to receive special education services, the CSE develops and implements an appropriate I.E.P. (Individualized Education Program). Students identified by the CSE are provided with a variety of services based on each child’s individual needs. The continuum of services includes: related services only (when multiple services are needed), consultant teacher, resource room, collaborative, and special class services provided in the district. Programs through BOCES or other school districts, private schools, and residential schools are also considered when a child’s needs warrant such intensive services. In compliance with state and federal mandates to provide students access to the general education curriculum, the district’s Special Education Department has focused on developing models of collaborative and integrated programs.

Under the supervision of the Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Personnel Services, programs for students with special needs are carefully monitored, and annual reviews are scheduled with parents, teachers of the program, and the CSE. The CSE and personnel involved with these students work hard to fulfill their responsibility to provide appropriate programs for all of these students in the least restrictive classroom and school settings.

Parents are an integral part of this process and your involvement is encouraged.

Special Education News

The North Salem Central School District has been approved as a validated best practice district through the Supporting Successful Strategies to Achieve Improved Results for Students with Disabilities (S³TAIR) Project.  North Salem has been validated as having best practice in the area of Special Education with a focus on co-teaching.

 In October 2010, North Salem was awarded S³ TAIR Mentor School status and as such has received a $10,000. 00 grant to support mentoring a school designated as being in need of intervention.  In this way, the practice we have worked to develop and sustain at North Salem Central School District will provide valuable support to a school experiencing challenges in meeting the needs of all students.  The grant funds are being used to provide professional development in our own district to further hone our skills.

 Parent Resources