Special Services

The Special Services Department is comprised of four distinct program areas: Special Education; Limited English Proficient/English as a Second Language; Home Instruction; and 504 Evaluations and Plans.

Another program offered is the Stark County Integrated Preschool (SCIP), which is a joint venture between the Stark County Educational Service Center and Lake Local Schools.

SPECIAL NEEDS
Programs to meet the special needs of students include preschool for children with disabilities, learning disabilities, multi-handicap and developmental handicap, tutoring, speech and language therapy, testing and evaluation. A full range of services are provided in compliance with federal laws, IDEIA and Section 504.

Early childhood screening is available to three- and four-year children with suspected special needs in order to discover potential learning problems and develop a plan to assist with remediation. Some programs which appropriately meet students' special needs may be provided in other school districts. Contact Lisa Shannon, Director of Special Services, if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child's educational needs at 330-877-9383, or via email at shannonlisa@lakelocal.org

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
Lake Local Schools provides services for students who are Limited English Proficient (LEP). Services are available for LEP students in grades K-12. Contact the Special Services Office for more information at 330-877-9383.

For more information regarding English Learner Services, visit the English Learner page or the Ohio Department of Education's website at www.ode.state.oh.us.

English Learner Handbook and Guidelines

HOME INSTRUCTION
Home Instruction services are provided to children who are unable to attend school due to a documented illness or disability as verified by a licensed physician or psychologist.

504 EVALUATIONS AND PLANS
Section 504  is a federal law of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973  that prohibits discrimination against individuals with a disability in any program receiving federal assistance. The district has specific responsibilities  under this act, which include the responsibility to identify, evaluate, and if the child has a current disability and is termed to be eligible under Section 504, to afford access to appropriate educational programs. Section 504 defines  a person with a disability as anyone who has a "mental or physical impairment which substantially limits a "...major life function." A major life function includes activities such as caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and working.

SCHOOL NURSING SERVICES
Lake Local School District, in cooperation with Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital , provides School Nursing Services. Each school building has a full-time RN on staff to serve our students. Please visit the Health Services page for more information.

PUBLIC NOTICE
The Lake Local School District and the Ohio Department of Education are trying to identify children with disabilities, birth through age 21, who may be in need of special education services. For children birth to age 3, a disability means an established condition known to result in a delay or a documented developmental delay. For children 3-5 years of age, a disability means that a child has a documented deficit in one or more of the following areas:

• communication
• vision
• hearing
• motor skills
• social/emotional functioning
• self-help, and/or
• cognitive skills

For school-age students, a disability means that a student has been identified as having one or more of the following disabilities that adversely affects his/her progress in the general education curriculum:

• multiple disabilities
• deaf-blindness
• visual impairments
• speech/language impairments
• orthopedic impairments
• emotional disturbances
• cognitive disabilities
• specific learning disability
• autism
• traumatic brain injury
• other health impairments

The Lake Local School District offers evaluation for all children with suspected disabilities free of charge. Once the school district is notified about a child who is suspected of having a disability, the child’s parent(s) are contacted and informed of their rights as required by the Individuals Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) and the Operating Standards for Ohio’s Schools serving Children with Disabilities.

If you know of a child who is suspected of having a disability, contact Lisa Shannon, Director of Special Services at 330-877-9383 or via email at shannonlisa@lakelocal.org