Special Education
Special Education Support Services
SESS provides special education support services for Silver Creek School Corporation.
Our office is located at 601 Renz Avenue within the SCSC Central Office.
Program Description
Silver Creek School Corporation provides students with identified disabilities, a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) that meets state standards listed in Indiana’s special education rules called “Article 7”. Article 7 is Indiana’s guidelines to the Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and other federal regulations. A copy of these rules are located in the Parent Resources section of this page.
A student identified with disabilities may receive special education services from the public school from the time the student is 3 through the age of 21.
School personnel or the parent may refer a student for an initial educational evaluation. If a parent wishes to refer a student for evaluation, it is important to contact the building principal or designated counselor on how to make the referral.
Upon completion of the evaluation, a case conference committee meets to decide if a student is eligible for special education services. During the meeting, the committee develops the student’s individualized educational plan (IEP) and discusses the need for related services such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, transportation, etc.
Sometimes a student may have an educational need that does not require specially designed instruction (SDI) and whose needs can be met by a 504 Plan.
Your building principal and/or counselor can help you determine if a 504 or special education referral might be a viable route for your student.
The Silver Creek School Corporation staff are here to help. If you have questions, the best place to start is with your student’s teacher, counselor, and building administrators.
For more information about our Early Intervention Preschool, please visit our preschool webpage by clicking the button below.
Parent Resources
SUSPECT A DISABILITY?
In accordance with Indiana’s Article 7, SCSC is responsible for locating, identifying, and evaluating students aged 3 to under 22, who are in need of special education and related services, regardless of the severity of their disabilities. This mandate includes:
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students with a legal settlement within SCSC
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those who attend nonpublic school
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those served by an agency, or live in an institution located within SCSC
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homeless students
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wards of the state
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highly mobile students
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those suspected of having a disability and in need of special education despite being promoted from grade to grade.
If your child is age 2 ½ through 21, attends any school within the boundaries of the Silver Creek School District or you live in our community and you suspect your child may have a disability, please do the following:
- For children at least two and a half years of age, but not yet age-eligible for kindergarten, contact Special Education Director, Ashley Compton, by email at alcompton@scsc.school or by phone at 812-248-7270 to learn more about our Early Intervention Preschool.
- For students who are eligible for kindergarten through age 21, you should contact your child’s teacher, school counselor or building administrator to discuss your concerns and explore the steps to be taken. If your child is not enrolled in public school, you should contact the counselor or building administrator in the building your child would attend if enrolled.
Vision
Empower all students to reach maximum independence in living and learning.
Mission
Provide an educational experience for students with disabilities that values:
- high expectations for all students
- individual needs of each student
- meaningful inclusive classroom experiences
- specially designed instruction (SDI)
- least restrictive environment (LRE)
- student self-determination, self-advocacy & independence
- opportunities for vocational training and paid employment experiences
- positive relationships between students, families, staff and administration
Many of the programs in Silver Creek School Corporation benefit from the support of the WHAS Crusade for Children Grant. This grant has provided yearly funding for our students who have disabilities. The WHAS Crusade for Children applies 100% of their donations to helping people with special needs. Their generous contributions have allowed us to purchase expensive equipment that otherwise may not be able to be purchased. They have also allowed us to purchase a lot of digital curriculum that are highly engaging to our students. This year we were able to purchase curricular materials that will help many of our students be better prepared for life when they leave high school. If you would like to learn more about the WHAS Crusade for Children and ways you can help support programming in the area, please visit http://whascrusade.org/.
