- Leon County Schools
- ESE Programs
Exceptional Student Education (ESE)
- ESE Programs
- Visit the Section 504 website
- Best Practices for Inclusive Education (BPIE)
- Acronyms Used in ESE
- Course Catalog
- COVID-19 Resources
- ESE District Staff
- Federal/State Laws and District Procedures Regarding Students with Disabilities
- Getting Ready for Your Student's Individual Education Plan (IEP) Meeting
- McKay Scholarship
- Multi-Tiered System of Supports for Parents
- Procedural Safeguards for Parents-All Languages
- Related Services
- Transition Program
- Transition-L.I.T.E.
- Websites of Interest
- Dispute Resolution Information
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Partnership for Effective Programs for Students with Autism
Have you thought about becoming a Partner?
Becoming a partner is easier than you think!If you are currently working with CARD or would like to have a CARD partner help you with ideas for your classroom, we encourage you to apply for the Partnership for Effective Programs for Students with Autism (PEPSA).
The application process is simple: For the narrative, briefly sketch out what you want assistance with or what your goals are for the school year.
CARD can help you work on...
- Outreach
- Staff wellness & collaborative teaming
- Behavior
- Any ideas to ensure an effective program for students with ASD
Submit the application to your Regional CARD Site.
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Our Mission
It is the mission of the Exceptional Student Education Department to ensure that schools provide opportunities and programs that encourage students to develop academic and social skills commensurate with their abilities. The commitment of the ESE Department is to assist all school personnel in the appropriate identification, placement, and programming for exceptional students. It is recognized that parent training, community awareness, and services to families are essential to student success. This website is designed to give you an overview of the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Department of the Leon County School District in Tallahassee, Florida, and the many services available to students that qualify for ESE programs. If you are new to Leon County, information is included that will facilitate your child's entrance into our district and, if applicable, into an appropriate exceptional program. A brief description of each exceptional program and its eligibility requirements are provided as well as other valuable information regarding your child's Individual Education Plan (IEP).
The Exceptional Student Education Department is committed to giving exceptional students the means of achieving their annual goals as specified on each student's Individual Education Plan while educating them in the least restrictive environment.
If you have any questions please contact the counselor at your child's school, the ESE Program Specialist assigned to your child's school (listed in ESE District Staff to the left), or the Exceptional Student Education office at 850-487-7160.
Nondiscrimination Notification and Contact Information
“No person shall on the basis of sex (including transgender, gender nonconforming and gender identity), marital status, sexual orientation, race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, age, color, pregnancy, disability, military status or genetic information be denied employment, receipt of services, access to or participation in school activities or programs if qualified to receive such services, or otherwise be discriminated against or placed in a hostile environment in any educational program or activity including those receiving federal financial assistance, except as provided by law.” No person shall deny equal access or a fair opportunity to meet to, or discriminate against, any group officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, or any other youth group listed in Title 36 of the United States Code as a patriotic society.
An employee, student, parent or applicant alleging discrimination with respect to employment, or any educational program or activity may contact:
Deana McAllister, Assistant Superintendent
Equity Coordinator
Leon County School District
2757 West Pensacola Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32304
(850) 487-7193
Wallace Knight, Director
Title IX Coordinator
Leon County School District
2757 West Pensacola Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32304
(850) 487-7193
A student or parent alleging discrimination as it relates to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act may contact:
Jennifer Benton, 504 Program Specialist
Leon County School District
3955 West Pensacola Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32304
(850) 487-7160
Stay connected with what is happening in the ESE world and connect with other parents of students with disabilities to share resources and engage in supportive dialogue through the LCS DAC website and Facebook page. See links below.
LCS ESE District Advisory Council Website
LCS ESE District Advisory Council Facebook Page
Link to the PEPSA Newsletter and information about the Annual Autism Summer Institute:
https://mailchi.mp/usf/pepsa-e-bulletin-new-trainings-2020-8850005?e=ac1774e756
For children grades K-5 who have hearing loss and use a listening and spoken language approach for communication
Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Endorsement Tuition Support Program
The ESE Endorsement Tuition Support Program provides financial assistance to ESE teachers who are teaching students identified as having autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or prekindergarten (PreK)/ESE in Florida public schools through a grant sponsored by the Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services at the FDOE. Please include the announcement of the ESE Endorsements Tuition Support Program in regional notices, listservs and newsletters for teachers. For more information and to download the application, go to https://florida-ese.org/tuition-support. For questions, contact Melanie Morales at Melanie.Morales@fiu.edu.
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Para-to-Teacher Tuition Support Program Live Recruitment Zoom Session If you are a paraprofessional working with students with disabilities, now is the time to follow your passion for the classroom and earn a bachelor’s degree in exceptional student education (ESE). If you already have an Associate in Arts degree or equivalent college coursework, you can join a live recruitment Zoom session and learn more. Please join Dr. Keri Fogle and Russell Gremillion, co-directors of the state-funded Para-to-Teacher Tuition Support Program, on June 29, 2021, at 4 p.m. EDT. They will discuss the program’s requirements and the application process and then answer questions on earning your bachelor’s degree in ESE, deaf education or visual disabilities. For program information on the Para-to-Teacher Tuition Support Program, go to https://paratoteacherprogram.com. To receive a link to join the session, contact Dr. Keri Fogle at kerifogle@uwf.edu or Russell Gremillion at rgremillion@uwf.edu.
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The Special Education Innovation Network The Special Education Innovation Network is a newly formed national group of special education researchers, nonprofit organizations and assistive technology software developers. Each member of the network has developed an education technology tool with an award from the Small Business Innovation Research programs at the United States Department of Education’s (USDOE’s) Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute on Disability Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Science Foundation, and programs at the National Center for Special Education Research at IES and the Office of Special Education Programs at the USDOE. To view the directory of the tools titled, “READY NOW: Education Technology Resources to Support Special Education Practitioners and Children and Students with or At Risk for Disabilities,” go to http://signetwork.org/content_page_assets/content_page_3/Ready%20Now%20Special%20Educatio n%202020.pdf. For more information or questions, contact Peg Sullivan, director, Florida’s State Personnel Development Grant, and director, Working with the Experts for Occupational and Physical Therapists, at msulliva@fgcu.edu; or Mary Walsh, program specialist, Bureau of Exceptional Student Education, at Mary.Walsh@fldoe.org.
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Summer Training Institute on Autism Registration is open for the 2021 Florida State University Summer Training Institute on Autism, which will be on June 15-17, 2021. This three-day online training institute is presented at no cost and will focus on issues surrounding individuals with autism across a lifespan. Each day has a different topic and consists of three informational segments delivered synchronously via Zoom. Topics covered include decreasing the stigma of autism, managing grief and trauma, racial disparity, and literacy strategies for multilingual students with disabilities.
To register and view the agenda, go to https://autismnavigator.com/webinar-2021-summer-training-institute/. For additional information and inquiries regarding For additional information and inquiries regarding the Summer Training Institute, contact Catherine Zenko at catherine.zenko@med.fsu.edu.
Contact
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Telephone: (850) 487-7160Fax: (850) 487-7823Address: 3955 W. Pensacola Street,Tallahassee, FL 32304Cathy Shields, Director IICompliance, Operationsand Districtwide Programs850-487-7160Brooke Brunner, Director IIEarly Childhood ProgramsK-12 ESE Curriculum850-922-2099Melissa Barton, Coordinator forCompliance850-487-7160Jenni Jenkins, CoordinatorBehavior Services850-487-7160Heather Willis-Doxsee, CoordinatorDistrictwide ESE Services850-561-8944Kristy Ward, Project ManagerTransition Services850-487-7323Jennifer Benton, Program SpecialistSection 504850-487-7317
Department Resources
- LCS ESE District Advisory Council Webpage
- LCS ESE District Advisory Council Facebook Page
- DOE Restraint Seclusion Reporting
- ESE Forms for LCS Staff
- ESE Handbook for LCS Staff
- FDLRS Miccosukee
- Florida Statutes and State Board of Education Rules
- Safeguards for Gifted Revised 2016
- Safeguards for Students with Disabilities
- SLP Sharepoint Site