School Board Talks Special Ed

The Fountain Valley School District Board of Trustees heard an encouraging report about the district's special education programs at its monthly meeting Thursday night.

An overview of the special education program, currently servicing students in numerous disabilities including autism, emotional disturbance, hard of hearing and intellectual disabilities, was presented by Director of Support Services Cathie Abdel.

The largest count of learning disability in FVSD is autism, followed by speech and language impairments. The district gathered statistics that show  students in third, sixth and eighth grade lead in the number of individuals with special-learning needs.

FVSD students have access to all special education and Courreges, Fulton, Gisler, Masuda, Newland, Oka, Plavan and Talbert have at least one special day class available on campus.

A smooth transition for special education students from middle school to high school is also a priority for FVSD and local high schools, Abdel said. Professionals from the high schools begin to observe students during the fall of the eighth grade year in order to provide an equal learning opportunity the following year.

FVSD special education is well staffed, Abdel said. The program includes two autism specialists, six school psychologists, 11 speech and language pathologists, 15 resource specialists, 15 special day class teachers, 97 other paraprofessionals and more.

The board also honored kindergartners Emma and Hannah Bell, first-grader Jessica Nguyen, second-grader Hannah Nguyen, third-grader Alex Wittick, fourth-grader Hannah Farrow and fifth-grader Mary Vu as "Tamura's Treasures 2010-11."

Tamura parent volunteers Elisabeth Hassanzadeh and Laura Gilmore were also recognized for their dedication and efforts by the PTO.

Newland Principal Kathy Davis, Chris Gandall and President Pro-Tem Ian Collins were honored for their efforts in working to promote the National Child’s Study, a program lead by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Health and Human Services.

The program follows participants, pre-birth to the age of 21, and studies their genetic and environmental background in hopes of creating a healthier nation for the future generations.