|
Welcome
to the Special Education home page for the Columbia Public Schools
The creation of the Columbia Public School web site for Special Education
is the result of many months of work by many persons. A committee of parents
and
public school staff determined the purpose of the Special Education web site
to be three-fold: 1) to promote community awareness of the abilities of
students with disabilities: 2) to provide a parent source to direct
information on special education process, services, and supports; and 3) to
provide parents, teachers, and other community members a link to other
resources related to educating children with disabilities.
The Columbia School District has a district-wide mission statement that
includes philosophy and goals. Each school has a unique personality and
structure designed to reflect and meet the needs of the building community
it serves while supporting the values of the district.
The Special Education Department provides staff, resources, and
supports throughout the district depending on the needs of students in each
building. The broad range of special education services and supports
allows most of our children with disabilities to be served in the student’s
home school. In the past, special educators were an isolated system of
support. Today, regular educators and special educators work together
with parents to teach children with and without disabilities in a variety of
settings in each school.
At one time the primary focus of teaching children with disabilities
was the disability. Today we consider the whole child, recognizing the
abilities of each child. We realize that all children are more alike
than different. We believe that all children can learn and that all
children belong. We desire for each child’s school experience to have
normal rhythms to it while meeting the unique needs of each learner. We
are fortunate indeed that the community of Columbia values education and our
schools celebrate the diversity of our student population.
|
