About Us
Special Services
Special Services/Special Education
Edina Public Schools provides a comprehensive program for students with disabilities. Services are provided to students who range in age from birth through 21. Most students receive services in their neighborhood school and when possible in their regular class setting.
Early Childhood Special Education
- ECSE - Early Childhood Special Education provides early intervention to young children, ages Birth to 6 years 11 months, who show developmental delay.
K-12 Special Services Resources
- Adaptive Physical Education Teacher
- Assistive Technology Specialist
- Autism Specialist
- Speech-Language Pathologist
- Occupational Therapist
- School Psychologist
- Deaf/Hard of Hearing Teacher
- Social Worker
- Part B Notice of Procedural Safeguards Parental Rights for Public School Special Education Students
- Infant and Toddler Intervention Procedural Safeguards Notice
Adaptive Physical Education Teacher
Our Adaptive Physical Education (D/APE) Teachers are physical education (PE) teachers who has advanced training in Special Education.
The role of the D/APE teacher is to help each student achieve success at their level while working on gross motor fitness and lifetime sport skills. In addition, they:
- work with students of all disabilities who demonstrate specific needs in the areas of gross motor skills
- work with students in the mainstream PE class, in small groups or individually
- consult with mainstream PE teachers about adaptations and safety issues
The district offers adapted athletic programs sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School League in soccer, floor hockey, and softball.
Assistive Technology Specialist
Our part-time Assistive Technology Specialist is a licensed professional who can provide services that directly assist a student with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device.
- assist in the identification of assistive technology needs
- evaluate the functional and educational needs for a student who is under consideration for assistive technology;
- provide recommendations, assist in the selection, modification and implementation of low, mid and high technology solutions and devices
- consult and coordinate with team members
- train teams, staff and families in the use of assistive technology
- facilitate the Individual Education Program decision making process with regards to assistive technology
Autism Specialist
Our Autism Specialists are licensed Special Educators qualified by advanced training, expertise and experience.
View more information on our Edina ASD Website
The role of the Autism Specialists is to:
- educate and consult with regular and special education teachers, principals and parents to help them understand and build a repertoire of strategies
- observe children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) as part of team involvement/consultation
- attend regional and state Autism meetings and conferences, providing current information and resources to staff and parents
- participate on assessment teams
- update and maintain a current resource library and list of Internet resources pertaining to ASD
Speech-Language Pathologists
Our Speech-Language Pathologists (CCC-SLP) are nationally certified.
View our other resources on our extended website.
The role of the Speech-Language Pathologist is:
- to serve students with identified speech-language disabilities,
- to evaluate students with whom parents or teachers have a specific speech or language concern
- to consult with parents and teachers about speech-language development and how disabilities may affect academic progress.
Occupational Therapists
The role of the OT is to work with students identified as having a disability who demonstrate needs due to sensory, perceptual or fine motor limitations that impact their ability to participate in activities related to their educational program. OT's also manage and assist in the acquisition of adaptive materials and equipment.
School Psychologist
The role of the School Psychologist is to consult with parents and teachers regarding behavior, development, emotional concerns and education planning; conduct crisis intervention; conduct individual and group counseling; and assist in determining student learning needs. Each School Psychologist is a special education team member; they administer intellectual, behavioral and other assessment tools and are part of the assessment team.
Deaf/Hard of Hearing Teacher
Teachers of Deaf/Hard of Hearing are licensed teachers who work on an itinerant basis with students ages birth to twenty-one, who have been identified and meet state criteria for deaf/hard of hearing services or are in need of an assessment to determine eligibility. The role of the D/HH Teacher is to:
- Participate on pre-referral teams and conduct assessments to determine D/HH eligibility when appropriate;
- Participate in the writing of the IEP or IFSP in all areas pertinent to the student’s hearing loss;
- Provide direct or indirect services to students as specified in the IEP or IFSP;
- Provide in-service training to special education and regular education staff, provide maintenance and provision of equipment, and consult with interpreters, educational audiologist, medical professionals and parents;
- Assist Director and Assistant Director in program planning;
- Attend regional and state D/HH meetings and conferences.
Social Worker
The role of the School Social Worker is to assist students, staff and parents with a variety of home or school issues that affect a students performance at school. Social Workers also connect families with community and county resources. Social Workers work with students in special education who have Individual Education Programs (IEP) and students in regular education. Service length varies from one session to an entire school year. Social Workers are members on the Edina Public Schools Crisis Team.