Special Education

Pupil Personnel Services/Special Education Services

The Scotia-Glenville Central School District strives to work collaboratively to ensure that students with disabilities are provided with the support and services needed to encourage the acquisition of the academic, social and vocational skills it is anticipated they will need beyond their school career.

Decisions about support and services are made by the Committee on Special Education (CSE) and the Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE), as outlined by Education Law.

Special education services are available to any student with a mental, physical or emotional impairment that affects his or her educational performance. For school-age children, this may include autism, deafness, deaf-blindness, emotional disturbance, hearing impairment, learning disability, mental retardation, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury or visual impairment (including blindness)

Special Education Services Plan approved by the Board of Education

The Special Education Services Plan has been approved by the Board of Education.

Procedural Safeguards Updated

To access the most updated Procedural Safeguards information, visit the New York State Education Department website.

Evidence-Based Social Skills Intervention for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders

The PEERS intervention is being offered at no cost through the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at the University at Albany. This social skills intervention for teens on the autism spectrum provides social skills training in a group format. Read more about the PEERS program here.

Parents should try to limit students’ screen time

Are you concerned that your kids spend too much time on tablets, smartphones, or other devices? Do you have fewer conversations with your kids than you’d like because of technology distractions? Do you find yourself constantly asking your kids to lower the volume on devices because you can hear the music blaring through their earbuds or headphones?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are a typical parent in the digital age. These are struggles for most of us as technology increasingly becomes central to our lives and our children’s lives. Read the entire parent letter.

ARC offers after-school programs at Scotia-Glenville

Schenectady ARC logo

Schenectady ARC operates two after-school programs within the Scotia-Glenville school district.  The program is funded by the state Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) and is approved to serve up to 28 students at the middle school and the high school.  Students must meet certain eligibility requirements to participate.

The overall goal of the program is to provide students with intellectual and other developmental disabilities with opportunities to engage in after-school respite activities in an integrated setting through the support and supervision of staff that are employed by Schenectady ARC.

Both programs run five days per week from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m., following the academic calendar.  The program does not operate when school is not in session (vacations and holidays) with the exception of the ARC summer program, which supports high-school students for two-three weeks each summer.

  • The middle school program is at Middle School Bldg, Room 107
  • The high school program is “Without Walls” – Community based.

Students must meet certain eligibility requirements to participate.

For more information about the ARC After-School programs, contact the ARC Navigation Department at (518) 377-2186 or visit www.arcschenectady.org.

Preschool children with disabilities

The district Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) is responsible for ensuring that parents are aware of the opportunities available for evaluation of children ages 3 to 5 who are suspected of having a disability and for services to children with disabilities.

The committee consists of representatives from preschool special education agencies, county administrators, parents and the district. All recommendations for services are made to the Board of Education. For more information, contact Pupil Personnel Services at (518) 382-1285/(518) 347-3600.

Students with disabilities

All recommendations for placement of students with disabilities are made to the Board of Education by the district Committee on Special Education (CSE). Local programs and local schools are used whenever possible to meet the child’s educational needs. Members of the Committee on Special Education include the director of Pupil Personnel Services, a district psychologist, speech therapists, special education teachers, parent representatives and the school physician when requested. For more information, call Pupil Personnel Services at (518) 382-1285/(518) 347-3600.

Parents of a child with disabilities who resides in the district and who are interested in serving on the CPSE or the CSE should contact the Pupil Personnel Services Office at (518) 382-1285/(518) 347-3600.

Preschool information

Information about full day kindergarten and the Committee on Pre-School Special Education (CPSE) for pre-school parents

A Parent’s Guide

Here is a parent guide for Special Education in New York State for Children Ages 3-21  (from NYS Ed Dept.)

CSE/CPSE meeting during inclement weather?

If school is delayed and you had a scheduled meeting with the Committee on Special Education or Committee on Pre-School Special Education, check here to see whether the meeting is still scheduled.

Capital District Center for Independence

Capital District Center for Independence is a private not-for-profit (501(c)(3), community-based Independent Living Center (ILC), located in Albany, NY which provides non-residential services to over 1,250 people with disabilities annually living in the Greater Capital District of New York State.

The Center for Independence promotes independent living for people with disabilities through a wide variety of services, information, education outreach and trainings to people with disabilities. Services provided by the Center include advocacy and self-help instruction, which includes a peer-based approach to managing one’s affairs, the development of self-determination, decision-making skills, self-advocacy skills, assistance in day-to-day community participation, and other social roles to maintain or regain their independence in the community.

Read more about the center here – http://www.acces.nysed.gov/content/capital-district-center-independence-albany