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
About Special Education
Total Special Education Systems Manual
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
- What is special education. This document outlines what special education means and what it entails.
- Procedural SafeguardsThis document describes the rights of parents with a child with a disability as well as the procedures that need to take place to help ensure a free and appropriate public education.
- Terms and Acronyms of Special Education