Edgewater High School is fully committed to supporting students under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). We are committed to 4 purposes of IDEA:
- "to assure that all children with disabilities have available to them…a free appropriate public education which emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs"
- "to assure that the rights of children with disabilities and their parents…are protected"
- "to assist States and localities to provide for the education of all children with disabilities"
- "to assess and assure the effectiveness of efforts to educate all children with disabilities"
Source: Education for All Handicapped Children’s Act of 1975
Students with documented disabilities fall under 2
categories (Click link for info on differences)
- Those who have a 504
- Those who have an IEP (Individualized Education Plan)
504 - Each student has a specific guidance counselor that handles 504s. Please reach out to the appropriate counselor here.
IEP - Our behavioral specialist that handles student IEPs is Laurie Scussel - laurie.scussel@ocps.net
Based on the IEP, students who are taking classes with the normal school population could be enrolled in 1 or both of the following courses.
Unique Skills: Social & Emotional
The purpose of this course is to enable students with disabilities to acquire and generalize skills related to self management and interpersonal relationships in educational, home, community, and employment settings to achieve annual goals based on assessed needs and the student's individual educational plan (IEP).
Learning Strategies
The purpose of this course is to enable students with disabilities to acquire and generalize strategies and skills across academic, community, and employment settings to achieve annual goals based on assessed needs and the student's individual educational plan (IEP).
If a student is placed in an InD Program (Intellectual Disabilities), they will be scheduled in classes called "Access". These include:
- English
- Algebra
- Physical Education
- HOPE
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Integrated Science
- Health and Safety
- World History
- Career Education - The purpose of this course is to enable students with disabilities to apply the knowledge and skills needed to design and implement personal plans for achieving their desired postschool outcomes. The personal plans may address all critical transition service areas, including instruction, related services, community experiences, employment, post-school adult living, and, if needed, daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation.
- 2D Art or Ceramics
- Career Preparation or Experiences - The purpose of this course is to enable students with disabilities to further develop knowledge and skills to select career
options, access community resources, and apply work-related behaviors through guided practice and experiences in school and community work settings. Non-paid community-based vocational education (non-paid CBVE) training programs are typically implemented through this course.