Special Services

Special Education Department

The Special Education Department at DaVinci Academy of Arts and Science is a team of specialized professionals dedicated to assuring a free, appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. Our Special Education department serves about 100 children kindergarten to 8th grade.

Special Education Teachers

Special Education Staff & Service Providers

Liz Anderson

Special Education Compliance Coordinator

Email

About Special Education

Total Special Education Systems Manual

TSES Revised 2024

The Total Special Education Systems Manual outlines the policies and procedures for our special education department. It guides the special education department when making decisions on how to identify students, the steps in the evaluation process, steps to determining eligibility for special education services, and aspects of the Individual Education Plan (IEP).

Students Served

In order to qualify for special education services, a student needs to be evaluated and meet criteria for a specific disability area as outline by the Minnesota Department of Education. In addition, the student needs to show that their disability impacts their academic achievement that requires a need for special education services. Some students will have a medical diagnosis but will not demonstrate an educational need and would not qualify. Some students will qualify for an educational diagnosis but will not have a medical diagnosis.

The recognized disabilities in Minnesota currently are:

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Blind or Visually Impaired
  • Deaf and Blind
  • Deaf and Hard of Hearing
  • Developmental Adaptive Physical Education
  • Developmental Cognitive Disability
  • Developmental Delay (ages birth through 7)
  • Emotional or Behavioral Disorders
  • Other Health Disabilities
  • Physically Impaired
  • Severe Multiple Impairments
  • Specific Learning Disability
  • Speech Language Impairment
  • Traumatic Brain Injury

If you have concerns with your child’s development, you are encouraged to do one of the following:

  • Review the Special Education Referral Process. This document outlines the flow in special education from a parent referral, through interventions, to an evaluation, to the creation of a learning plan and to progress reporting.
  • Talk with your child’s teacher about your concerns.

Helpful Resources

Resource Documents