Changes underway for Saint Paul Public Schools’ Special Education summer school

Changes underway for Saint Paul Public Schools’ Special Education summer school
4/17/2008 11:18 AM

Media Release
Office of Community Relations
Contact: Brett Johnson - (651) 767-8107

April 17, 2008

Saint Paul, Minn – Parents of many special education students in Saint Paul will need to start thinking now about summertime plans for their children.

In a change from past years, students with special needs will be referred to Extended School Year (also known as special education summer school) based solely on their Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and the IEP team. In the past, special education summer school was offered more widely, and was not always based on the student’s education plan. Unless Extended School Year is identified in their children’s IEP, families who have relied on this for their child’s summer programming will need to identify new services for their child by June 5 (the last day of school).

To support families during this transition, the following resources for community-based summer programs have been collected by Saint Paul Public Schools Special Education Department:
•   See the catalog for ARCH (Adaptive Recreation Community Happenings) and at http://service.govdelivery.com/service/document.html?code=STPAUL_42;
•   Saint Paul Community Education at http://www.commed.spps.org/;
•   and summer programs sponsored by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library at http://www.thefriends.org/.

The change from past practice is due to an advisement from the Minnesota Department of Education on current special education law.

For more information, staff or families can contact the Special Education Department at (651) 767-8321.
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Note to editors: In addition to any coverage you may assign to this, please consider including this in your education notes or briefs section – it is important for us that families are aware of this. Thank you for your consideration.

Reporters seeking more information are welcome to contact Cecelia Dodge, Director of Special Education, at (651) 767-8321.