The Special Services Department is responsible for the evaluation and instruction of students with disabilities. When a parent or teacher identifies a student as having educational difficulties, and the interventions recommended by the Response To Intervention Team have not been successful, the student may be referred to the Child Study Team for an evaluation. The Child Study Team, which consists of a school psychologist, Learning Disabilities Teacher-Consultant, school social worker, and when necessary a speech and language specialist, will discuss with the parent whether an evaluation is warranted, and if so, they will develop a plan to determine the nature and scope of the evaluations.
If, after the evaluations are completed, a student is determined to have a disability, and that disability makes it necessary for the student to receive special education and/or related services in order to be successful in school, an individual educational program (IEP) will be developed for the student, and this program will be reviewed annually. In order to meet the educational needs of these students, the Rutherford School District offers a range of specialized programs including special classes for mild/moderate learning or language disabilities, pull-out resource replacement, in-class resource replacement, in-class resource support and pull-out resource support. Related services, including speech/language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and counseling, are provided when a student’s disability requires them in order for the student to benefit from the educational program. All special education classes/programs are taught by certified teachers and are offered in the least restrictive environment.
Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC)
Each board of education shall ensure that a special education parent advisory group is in place in the district to provide input to the district regarding issues concerning students with disabilities.
The public schools of Rutherford have established the Rutherford Special Education Parent Advisory Committee as a forum for parents to provide input to the district regarding students with disabilities. We welcome the participation of all parents.
Should you have any questions or comments, please contact the appropriate Child Study Team member listed below:
Supervisor of Student Services:
Michelle M. Perez Hoen x7107 mhoen@rutherfordschools.org
Child Study Team Members:
Peter Grompone x4600 pgrompone@rutherfordschools.org
Kelly Talty x4601 ktalty@rutherfordschools.org
Angeline Graff x7274 agraff@rutherfordschools.org
Adriane Freudenberg x6600 afreudenberg@rutherfordschools.org
Doreen Solter x6601 dsolter@rutherfordschools.org
Paulina Luczaj x3600 pluczaj@rutherfordschools.org
Maureen Trepicchio x2283 mtrepicchio@rutherfordschools.org
Darlene Hauptman x2279 dhauptman@rutherfordschools.org
Keri-Ann Romano x 3354 kromano@rutherfordschools.org
Secretary:
Kathie Cockcroft x7272 kcockcroft@rutherfordschools.org