Student Support Services

What is Special Education?

Special education is specially designed instruction that addresses the unique needs of a student eligible to receive special education services, under one or more of the 13 disability categories, through an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law that mandates special education as a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) that is provided at no cost to parents and includes the related services a student needs to access her/his educational program.  Providing FAPE for a student with a disability begins with the consideration of services to be provided in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE).  Under the LRE mandate, students shall participate in the general education classroom/curriculum to the maximum extent appropriate, which may be adapted or modified based on individual needs.

IDEA provides parents with specific rights and protections, called procedural safeguards (hyperlink to document), which means that parents are always afforded the right to make decisions regarding the education of their children.

How does my child qualify for Special Education Services?

Two criteria must be met for a student to be eligible for Special Education Services.

• The student must meet one of the 13 disability categories defined by the IDEA.
• The student must need special education; that is, the child requires specially designed instruction to receive educational benefit.

What are the 13 disability categories defined by the IDEA?

• Intellectual Disability
• Hearing Impairment
• Speech or Language Impairment
• Visual Impairment (including blindness)
• Emotional Disturbance
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Autism
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Other Health Impairment
• Specific Learning Disability
• Deafness
• Deaf-Blindness
• Multiple Disabilities

What do I do if I suspect that my child is Struggling?

• Reach out to his / her teacher or principal to discuss concerns.
• The child may be referred to Child Study. During Child Study, meetings are held over 12 weeks to identify areas of weakness and implement interventions to support the student in those areas of weakness.
• During the 12 week period, data is collected to determine if the interventions are working, or if the interventions need to be changed.
• If, after the 12 week period, the student is still struggling, the student may be referred for a evaluation to determine if he/she qualifies for special education services.
• At this time, a Permission to Evaluate (PTE) will be issued. Once it is returned to the school, signed by the parent/guardian, the evaluation will begin.
• Once the evaluation is completed, the outcome will be explained to the parents and a determination will be made regarding eligibility for Special Education Services.
• If the child qualifies for Special Education Services, an Individualized Education Plan will be developed.

What are some resources available to Families?  

Special Education Overview

Special Education Timelines

Parent Guide to Special education

Special Education Evaluation Process

Procedural Safeguards

PA Department of Education

PA Training and Technical Assistance Network

The Arc of Pennsylvania

Local Task Force

PA Secondary Transition Guide

’25-’26 Annual Notice

“School social workers seek to ensure equitable educational opportunities; ensure that students are mentally, physically, and emotionally present in the classroom; and promote respect and dignity for all students.”

 -National Association of Social Workers Standards for School Social Work Services

Elements of School Social Work Services

Direct Services: Direct intervention to address the immediate concerns of at-risk students with the purpose of prevention, intervention, and crisis response.

Social Skills

• Emotional Recognition
• Self-Regulation
• Behaviors
• Play Skills
• School Rules
• Perspective Taking
• Basic Conversation Skills
• Conversation Topics
• Advanced Conversation Skills
• Nonverbal Communication
• Situational Awareness
• Problem Solving
• Friendship
• Self-Esteem
• Hygiene

Executive Functioning

• Response Inhibition
• Working Memory
• Emotional Control
• Sustained Attention
• Task Initiation
• Planning/Prioritizing
• Organization
• Time Management
• Goal-Directed Persistence
• Flexibility
• Metacognition

Indirect Services: Work with school, community, and agency personnel to address at-risk student concerns with the purpose of prevention, intervention, and community/agency response.

• Advocacy
• Outside Agency Liaison
• Interdisciplinary Team Member
  • Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) Implementation
  • Students Assistance Program (SAP)
  • Special Education SEL (Social Emotional Learning) Services
  • Positive Behavior Support Plan (PBSP) Development
  • Family Education Training

Mental Health Resources in Pennsylvania:

Psychological Services

“School psychologists are uniquely qualified members of school teams that support students’ abilities to learn and teachers’ abilities to teach. They apply expertise in mental health, learning, and behavior, to help children and youth succeed academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally. School psychologists’ partner with families, teachers, school administrators, and other professionals to create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments that strengthen connections among home, school, and the community.” -The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)

Psychological services at Howard Gardener MI Charter School include:

1. Psychoeducational Evaluations of students for academic, social-emotional and/or behavioral concerns. The purpose of an evaluation is to obtain information about the student’s learning, behavior and/or mental health in order to determine eligibility for services based on identification of an educational disability as defined by PA Department of Education criteria.
2. Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA). An FBA may be conducted during the course of an evaluation or consultation for individual student concerns, in which data will be collected regarding specific behaviors displayed by the student. Subsequently, a more precise Positive Behavior Support Plan can be created to address the targeted behavior.
3. Consultation services may be requested to determine strategies and resources to assist with: • Individual student concerns – The goal is to explore and define a particular concern with teachers, administrators, and/or parents. The school psychologist can provide direction and assistance to meet the needs of the student and to help foster an optimal learning environment.
4. Review and assist in analyzing school-wide data (MTSS). The school psychologist may assist in the interpretation of data that can be utilized by the school to assess overall academic progress and/or systems of positive behavior support.
5. Professional Development. The school psychologist may provide information as discussion on a topic at a staff meeting, or a more formal presentation on professional development days. Topics may include mental health diagnoses, behavioral interventions, educational disabilities, data analysis, among others.
6. Team lead of the Student Assistance Program (SAP) and member of the Child Study Team. As a professional trained in both learning and mental health concerns, the school psychologist is a valuable participant of these teams and can provide direction on data analysis, interventions and information about community resources.
7. Cofacilitator in Educational Support Groups: Support Groups usually meet once a week for a specific number of sessions. These groups may last 6-8 sessions lasting for 30-45 minutes. Support groups provide an opportunity for additional personal and social skill building. They provide a chance for students to share, to increase their sense of belonging, and to build personal skills in that area. Some topics that might be addressed in Group are Self Esteem, Handling Emotions, Divorce, and Social Skills. Educational Support Groups are completely voluntary and will not occur without parent permission.

Family Education Resources

Advocating for LGBTQ students with disabilities: A Guide for Educators and Parents/Guardians on supporting LGBTQ Students with an IEP OR 504 PLAN

Suicidal Thinking and Threats: Helping Handout for Home

Supporting Children’s Mental Health: Tips for Parents and Educators

Care for the Caregiver: Tips for Families and Educators

Special Education: A Basic Guide for Parents

Section 504: A Guide for Parents and Educators

IEP team Meetings: A Guide to Participation for Parents

Genetic Disorder Information Resources

Do you have a student you are concerned about? Please refer that student to the SAP Team. Referrals can be made by faculty, staff, students, community members, and parents.

SAP Student Referral Form

What is the Student Assistance Program (SAP)?

The Student Assistance Program (SAP) team is a group of teachers and other professionals who administer a program designed to help students who are “at risk” for issues involving drugs and alcohol and/or mental health concerns.  It is a confidential, systematic process designed to intervene and refer students who are having problems.  Referred students and their parents are given free access to appropriate community services in and out of school.  Teachers, parents, and students can refer anyone to SAP.  Students can even refer themselves.  Essentially, referrals are made when a person is concerned that a student may be “at-risk” because of drug and alcohol or mental health issues.

School Assistance Program Team Members

• Alycia Booth (Dean of Students) – Alycia.Booth@myhgsd.com
• Colleen Coolbaugh (School Psychologist) – Colleen.Coolbaugh@myhgsd.com
• Jade Flynn (School Counselor) – Jade.Flynn@myhgsd.com
• Zachary Kenney (School Counselor) – Zachary.Kenney@myhgsd.com
• TreeAnne McEnery (Principal) – TreeAnne.McEnery@myhgsd.com
• Cathy Opshinsky (Director of Student Services) – Cathy.Opshinsky@myhgsd.com
• Megan Boettcher (Social Worker) – Megan.Boettcher@myhgsd.com
• Alyson Eckler (Building Substitute) – Alyson.Eckler@myhgsd.com
• Denise Reilly  (representative from Scranton Counseling Center)
• Rory Stevens, LSW | NEIU 19 SAP Coordinator

How can you get in contact with the SAP Team?

Email team members or contact the school (570-941-4100)

Resources

Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services and the Center for Community Resources Support and Referral Help Line
1-855-284-2494
TTY: 724-631-5600
24 hours a day-7 days a week

Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-TALK (8255)
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

To learn more about SAP

211 Call Connects with Local Agency Providers

(Community Services-Addiction and Recovery, Behavioral Health, Telehealth, Pediatrics, Primary and Preventative care, Opioid Center of Excellence, Women’s Health, Dental, Healthy moms, etc.)

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SCHOOL COUNSELING SERVICES

About the Howard Gardner School Counseling Office

• Resource for all students. Supportive atmosphere to reinforce skills and positive behaviors.
• Focus on the academic, personal/social and career areas.
• Solution focused counseling is predominantly used. Students focus on their skills, strengths, and supportive relationships to work on their concerns.
• Safe and open space for students, staff, and parents alike!

Individual Counseling:

These sessions will be for students to assist with a variety of educational, career and personal (social and emotional) concerns. The purpose of these sessions are to talk about the concerns, make a plan of action, and to help the students follow through with their plan. If a student is in need of more intensive counseling, a referral will be made to the family for private counselors and encouragement to the family to use community resources.

Educational Support Groups:

In some instances students help each other out by working in groups led by the counselor. A lot of times students feel supported by working with other students that are experiencing the same problem and participate in an Educational Support Group. Support Groups usually meet once a week for a specific number of sessions. Depending on the topic, there are typically 6-8 sessions lasting for 30-45 minutes. Advantages of group over individual counseling are that students often do not feel singled out and they tend to gain social skills and personal confidence by learning to empathize and help one another. Some topics that might be addressed in Group are Self Esteem, Handling Emotions, Divorce, and Social Skills. Educational Support Groups are completely voluntary and will not occur without parent permission.

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Classroom Lessons:

The topics presented in classroom guidance will largely be driven by what the teacher determines the needs of the classroom or school are. The needs are driven by data given to us by our universal screening tool for Social Emotional Learning (SEL). Lessons provided by the School Counselor address the 5 areas of the SEL framework or based on the particular problem the classroom may have been facing.

Mindfulness:

Using the curriculum for Mindful Schools, weekly lessons introduce and reinforce mindfulness practice with our students in Grades 5-8. Mindfulness is paying attention to our own experience in a way that allows us to respond rather than react.  Mindfulness practice and lessons address several areas of social and emotional competencies.

Career Education:

As part of the State Board of Education’s regulations of required education for all students in Pennsylvania, Howard Gardner MI Charter School implements Career Education and Work Standards that address four areas of knowledge; Career Awareness and Preparation,Career Acquisition (Getting a Job), Career Retention and Advancement and Entrepreneurship.  HGMICS implements integration strategies within existing academic disciplines and standalone courses to specifically address these standards through the School Counseling Office.

Referrals:

An important role for the school counselor is to serve as referral agents when students and their families require assistance from other programs and services. In this case I would work closely with the faculty, parents and administration in this process.

Consultation:

This is and has always been a huge part of the role of a school counselor. Students develop to their fullest if everyone works together. School Counselors often work with the teacher and the parent to better address the needs of the student. Typically consultations will focus on the individual child, but this may also include workshops or presentations to parents or teachers on a particular topic.

Coordination:

The School Counselor regularly meets with the School Psychologist, School Social Worker and Director of Student Services to coordinate efforts to best serve the students and on a weekly basis discuss students that may be struggling academically, socially, or emotionally. The School Counselor also is the Coordinator for the school’s Section 504/Chapter 15. A student’s Section 504 Service Plan is an individualized plan for an eligible child that describes the modifications and accommodations needed by a disabled student, which shall be implemented in school or in transit to school, so that the student has equal access to the educational benefits of the school’s program.

An integral member of the Howard Gardner School community, the School Counselor provides leadership to and is actively involved in the following services and programs.

• Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS)
• Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)
• Child Study
• Homeless
• Student Council
• Mindfulness & Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Programs
• Truancy
• Career/Transition Services
• PSSA/Keystone Exams