Special Education

Our Special Services department includes a wide array of programs and services designed to meet the needs of our learners with disabilities.

Special education and support services are available to all learners ages birth to 21 who have not graduated and who have been identified as needing these specialized instructional services.

Our Special Education teachers and support staff provide educational programming designed to meet the needs of our students with disabilities. We offer these services to ensure that learners with disabilities receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Highly trained Special Education teachers and paraprofessionals give students specialized instruction designed for each individual in an Individual Education Plan (IEP).

For more information email Joan Opitz JoanOpitz@HopkinsSchools.org, or call 952-988-4042.

The Special Education Process

Identification and Referral
The Special Education process begins with identifying learners ages birth to 21 who are eligible for special services and in need of specialized instruction.

Evaluation
We use formal and informal measures to determine the learner’s strengths and areas of need. Parent permission is required to start the Initial assessment and evaluation process. The parent is invited to participate in a Child Study Team at the building site to determine the areas of assessment.

Placement
During this phase, the learner’s needs are determined and, together with the family, a plan is written to meet those needs. The underlining principle is where the services are delivered; we use the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) as a guiding principle for determining whether this is in the mainstream classroom, in the resource learning center, in a self-contained special education classroom, or in a program that is off site. These decisions are discussed in a collaborative planning meeting entitled Individual Education Plan conference.

Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC)

The Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) provides parents and community representatives a way to communicate with the school system that serves their child. The group, chaired and organized by parents of students with disabilities, collaborates with district staff to improve special education services and the quality of life for your children.

What does the SEAC do?

Meeting monthly during the school year, the committee works towards assuring quality education and services for students with disabilities by:

Providing input to administration on district special education policies, programs, needs and concerns. Sponsoring educational programs, parent meetings, and distribution of resource information. Connecting families to special services staff and local school communities. Executing projects through subcommittees related to such areas as educational programs, communications, or community recreational programs such as Adapted Athletics.

Who serves on the SEAC?

Membership on SEAC includes parents from each school in the district, community representatives, the district's director of special services, two special services coordinators, and the Transition Lead.

SEAC Co-Chairs are Rachel Casper and Melissa Wilcox.

SEAC Parent Representatives

Transition Plus: Sarah Boggess, 952-938-1534
Hopkins High School: Marianne Aydil, 952-938-5103; Krista Fraase, 763-229-2636; Wendy Beard, 952-933-5286 and Ben Twogood, 952-960-3639
Hopkins West Junior High: Sara Bojan-Wood, 612-802-0382; Shari Tvrdik, 952-934-7113 and Terri Brey, 612-618-3495
Hopkins North Junior High:
Alice Smith Elementary: Carrie Kennedy, 952-930-1584 and Rachel Carlson, 952-933-1170
Eisenhower Elementary: Sara Bojan-Wood, 612-802-0382
Gatewood Elementary: Erin Byers, 952-925-5232; Chris Choy Bush, 612-384-4968; Julie Tarshish, 763-383-9553; Melissa Wilcox, 612-735-7756; Gina Haar, 612-599-1283 and Terri Brey, 612-618-3495
Glen Lake Elementary: Katie Whitnah, 612-749-4715; Wendy Beard, 952-933-5286; Rachel Casper, 319-432-5692 and Melissa Wilcox, 612-735-7756
Meadowbrook Elementary: Allison Buttress, 763-417-9024 and Courtney Bernal, 720-254-2778
Tanglen Elementary:
XinXing Elementary:
Early Childhood Special Education: Cindy Nelson-Kaigama, 612-275-8788
Intermediate School District 287 Programs:
Members at Large:
Private Schools: Elizabeth Claeys, 952-935-5093

How can the SEAC help me?

Start with your local SEAC School Representative. He or she may be able to answer your questions, share personal experiences, and direct you to staff or community resources. Participate in SEAC-sponsored "PIE Meetings" or PACER training for legislative action to help you share your opinions, needs, and questions. Participate in our educational programs to meet other families with students with disabilities. Visit this site for information on workshops, activities, resources to help families with students needing special education, and related services.

SEAC Parent Booklet
SEAC Mission Statement & Bylaws

SEAC Parent Booklet

SEAC Mission Statement & Bylaws

MISSION STATEMENT AND BYLAWS
SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
HOPKINS PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Revised September 26, 2017

Mission Statement:

The mission of the Hopkins Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) is to act as an advisory body to the District through the Director of Special Services on behalf of students from birth to graduation receiving special education services. Our goal is for parents and school staff members to work together to support families, advise decision makers and advocate for students within our diverse community.

Bylaws:

1. Membership

a. Membership will strive towards at least one parent or legal guardian representative from each of the elementary public schools, two representatives from the Early Childhood Program and each secondary school, and at least one representative from the private school sector being served by Hopkins Public Schools Special Services.
b. Hopkins Public Schools shall be represented by the Director of Special Services and at least one staff member.
c. Optimum representation of staff would be from a variety of positions.
d. Membership will strive to include at least one current School Board member.
e. Membership will strive towards at least three at large community members coming from any area of the system. These committee members will not be parents of a child receiving special services in Hopkins Public Schools.

2. Membership Selection

a. SEAC will strive for diversity in membership. Parents, both men and women, will come from various communities of color, alternative family styles, varying socio-economic groups. The students from these families will be of various ages and disabilities.
b. In the event of a vacancy, a message will be sent to all families with children receiving special education services in the school where the opening occurs. Special education staff at that school will be contacted personally by the membership subcommittee in an effort to recruit possible new members.
c. Selection for membership will be reviewed by a three-person Membership Subcommittee established by the co-chairs.

3. Term of Membership

a. Membership on the Advisory Committee shall be a minimum of two years.
b. A member may choose to continue their membership after the first two years if the membership is judged by the committee to be rotating effectively. If the membership is judged to be static, the membership selection process will be started. If a member anticipates leaving, they will notify the co-chairs in writing of their planned departure, and the selection process will occur.
c. While maintaining a balance of representational concerns, members who no longer have a child being served by Hopkins Public Schools may have an opportunity to continue as an at large community representative.

4. Membership Responsibilities

a. Attend all committee meetings. Notify co-chairs if you are unable to attend a meeting. If a member misses more than three meetings, one of the co-chairs will contact the member to discuss the situation and whether the member desires to continue.
b. A minimal amount of time outside the monthly meeting participating in designated subcommittee work may be asked of members.
c. Facilitate communication between the Special Services Department and his/her respective school community as outlined in the Introduction to Hopkins Schools SEAC available to members on the SEAC website.

5. Officers, Terms and Responsibilities

a. Co-chairs

i. Term: minimum of two years
ii. Responsibilities:
1. Lead role in providing group direction of SEAC and working collaboratively with the Director of Special Services.
2. Facilitate group discussion of annual goals and take leadership in assuring the committee goals are accomplished.
3. Develop and distribute the monthly agenda. Conduct monthly meetings.
4. Set up meeting schedule for the year prior to the start of the school year with the assistance of the Director of Special Services and Administrative Assistant.
5. Co-chairs or designee are responsible for new member orientation.
6. The co-chairs will biannually appoint the chair of the Nominating Subcommittee who will select two additional committee members and coordinate the nomination of candidates for co-chairs and secretary to the SEAC group.
a. Director of Special Services and at least one co-chair will also serve on the Nominating Subcommittee.
i. Nominating Committee will call for nominations at the February meeting.
ii. Nominating committee will announce nominations at the March meeting.
iii. Election of candidates will occur at the April meeting.
7. Establish subcommittees as needed to meet SEAC's goals and objectives.

b. Secretary
i. Term: two years.
ii. Responsibilities:
1. Record the minutes of the monthly meetings.
2. Distribute minutes by email to membership within two weeks of meeting.
3. Write and distribute reports for School Board members and others as appropriate.
4. Notify the co-chairs prior to the monthly meeting if unable to attend allowing time to appoint a replacement.

6. Meetings

a. Meetings will be held once a month for the length of the school year.
b. Special meetings may be called as necessary.
c. Elections shall be held in April biannually for co-chairs and secretary.
d. A special election will be held in the event an elected official is unable to complete their term of office. All guidelines shall be the same as a regular election.

7. Amendments

a. Amendments may be made to any item in the Bylaws by a majority vote.
b. Amendments to the Mission Statement requires a 2/3 vote of the membership.

IDEA and Section 504

You may have heard of two different federal laws pertaining to the services schools provide for students with special needs — the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 (the Rehabilitation Act of 1973). Here are some details about each of them to help you determine whether or not your child might be eligible for services under one of them.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

IDEA is an education act that provides federal funding for special education. The purpose is to provide financial aid to states in their efforts to ensure a free appropriate education for students with disabilities.

A student is eligible to receive special education and/or related services if the multidisciplinary team determines that the student has a disability under one of 13 qualifying conditions and requires special education services. IDEA requires the district to provide an individual education program (IEP). The IEP provides an "Appropriate Education," which means a program designed to provide "Educational Benefit." The 13 classification categories are:

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Deaf-Blind (DB)
Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH)
Developmental Cognitive Disability: Mild to Moderate (DCD-MM) or Moderate-Severe (DCD-MS)
Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)
Emotional or Behavioral Disorders (EBD)
Other Health Disabilities (OHD)
Physically Impaired (PI)
Severely Multiply Impaired (SMI)
Specific Learning Disability (SLD)
Speech or Language Impairments (SPL)
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Visually Impaired (VI)

Section 504 (The Rehabilitation Act of 1973) 

Section 504 is part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which prohibits discrimination by agencies that receive federal funding. Schools comply with this law by ensuring that they are not discriminating against any disabled students and, if they are, by creating and enacting a written accommodation plan (often called a "504") to help the student gain equal access to education.

Students are eligible for protection under Section 504 if they have or are regarded as having a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits their access to a major life activity, such as:

walking
seeing
hearing
speaking
breathing
learning
working

Parents or teachers who feel that a disabled student may qualify for protection under Section 504 should make a referral for consideration to the school's 504 Coordinator. This person will then gather information and pass it along for review to a team of people in the building who will make a judgment as to the student's eligibility for services under Section 504.

More information on Section 504

Parent Resource Links

Technology

Our Special Education department provides Universal Design for Learning (UDL) resources and training to ensure that our equipment and software meet the needs of all students.

Our school district is working with the Minnesota Department of Education to receive training on the principles and application of UDL. In a universally designed classroom, all students will have the tools necessary to make progress. Tools that help all students reach their potential in the classroom often include special software and other technologies.

Application of UDL principles will allow teachers to more readily meet students' needs within the classroom. Currently, students who are struggling often need to leave the classroom to use specialized technology or receive academic supports. By making the technology part of the curriculum, students no longer have to leave the classroom and lose instructional time. Students with special needs are also more likely to use the tools available if all students are accessing the same software to produce their work.

Our goal in Hopkins Public Schools is to choose technology that will be universally accessible to all learners. By having UDL classrooms, all students will be provided with the tools they need to be successful. Teachers will also be supported with technology that will allow them to meet the growing needs of a diverse student population.

Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Information

Early Intervention (EI) and Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) provide screening, evaluations and intervention services to families with children ages birth to kindergarten who are at risk of having a developmental delay or have been identified with a developmental delay or disability. Our services are based on your child's needs and are provided in a variety of environments at no cost to families.

Learn more about ECSE

Services for Non-Public School Students

The state requires all school districts to provide special education services to students with disabilities who attend non-public schools within the school district's borders. Other services for non-public school students are nursing services for students in grades K through 12 and guidance and counseling services for secondary students (grades 7 through 12).

Districts must identify students who are potentially eligible for special education services, and, once identified, offer parents a plan for services.

The public school district may provide special education instruction and services at the non-public school building, a public school, or at a neutral site other than a non-public school. The public school district determines the location, student by student.

Disability Areas Eligible for Services

Students must meet specific criteria determined by the Minnesota Department of Education. There are 13 disability categories for services:

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Deaf-Blind (DB)
Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH)
Developmental Cognitive Disability: Mild to Moderate (DCD-MM) or Moderate-Severe (DCD-MS)
Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)
Emotional or Behavioral Disorders (EBD)
Other Health Disabilities (OHD)
Physically Impaired (PI)
Severely Multiply Impaired (SMI)
Specific Learning Disability (SLD)
Speech or Language Impairments (SPL)
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Visually Impaired (VI)

Guidance and Counseling Services are Available

Another educational benefit provided, under state law, to non-public students in grades 7 through 12 is guidance and counseling services. This means all of the typical activities of a licensed school counselor in counseling pupils and parents, including assisting in personal and social development and career and post-secondary planning.

Hopkins Public Schools provides secondary guidance services to Blake School, Breck School, Chesterton Academy, The International School of MN, Minnetonka Christian Academy, and Notre Dame Academy. Parents seeking career and college planning information for their children attending non-public schools are also welcome to contact their student's high school counselor for more information.

For more information about services you can request, see the contact list linked below, or consult the state statute, also linked below.

Contacts for Services to Non-Public School Students

If I think my child in a private school has a disability, how can I obtain special education services?

The Hopkins School District has several schools that serve students with disabilities attending non-public schools. Parents may contact the Special Services Coordinator to request assessment of their child.

Teachers and principals in the private schools may also contact the Special Services Coordinator to ask about assessing a child.

The Special Services contacts are:

Jennifer Davie, Elementary Special Services Coordinator (grades K to 6), 952-988-4048
Brian Stanley, Secondary Special Services Coordinator (grades 7 to 12), 952-988-4319
Fhonda Contreras, Director of Special Services, 952-988-4041

The coordination of special education services to private schools occurs through a multidisciplinary team of Hopkins special education staff. The services provided by the Hopkins school district in most instances occurs at the student's private school with case management assigned to a special education teacher that will collaborate with the student's regular education teachers.

How can my child who attends a private school access Nursing Services?

A licensed school nurse in the Hopkins Public Schools works collaboratively with the private schools to provide school nursing services. For more information, contact:
Pat Boyd, Licensed School Nurse, 952-988-4128

Who provides guidance and counseling services to students attending non-public schools?

Our guidance counselor for non-public school students in our school district is:
Jill Rost, Licensed School Counselor, 952-988-4132

Minn. Statute 123B.44: Provision of Pupil Support Services

Partnerships

Transition Plus

Continuing Education
Transition Plus is a joint program among the Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Minnetonka school districts that works with young adults with disabilities, ages 18 to 21. Using the IEP team process, Transition Plus services help students achieve their goals by providing specialized instruction, training, and support.

Transition Plus

Intermediate District 287

The Hopkins School District is part of Intermediate District 287, a consortium of 14 metro-area school districts who work collaboratively to provide restrictive, smaller learning environments with students who demonstrate significant, multiple, and complex needs that cannot be served in our neighborhood schools.

Intermediate District 287

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What does being referred mean?

What kinds of issues could my child's teacher be referring to?

May I attend this "child study team" meeting?

Do I have to give permission for this evaluation to take place?

How will I know if the school is going to do an evaluation of my child?

The decision about whether or not to proceed with a special education evaluation will be made at the child study team meeting (which you may have attended). In addition, a form requesting your permission to evaluate your child will be sent to you shortly after the child study team has met. The form will not only indicate what areas are to be tested, but also who will be doing the evaluation and specifically what types of tests they are going to administer.

If I decide to go ahead with the evaluation, how long will it take?

What happens if my child has disabilities but does not speak English?

What services are available for students with multiple and significant disabilities?

The Hopkins School District is part of a consortium of metro-area school districts who work collaboratively to provide restrictive, smaller learning environments with students who demonstrate significant, multiple, and complex needs that cannot be served in our neighborhood schools. A link to this consortium district, called Intermediate District 287, appears in the Partnerships section on this page.