Special Education

Special Education Programs

The Lompoc Unified School District makes programs available to meet the needs of all disabled children. In determining the appropriate program placement for each individual, the Lompoc staff is committed to the belief that disabled students should be educated to the maximum extent possible with their non-disabled peers.

Regular Class Modification

The regular class teacher may modify the education program to meet the student's needs. These modifications are usually the result of consultations with parents, the school psychologist, a special education teacher, and / or other memebers of the Individual Education Program (IEP) Team.

Regular Class with Related Services

Language / Speech / Hearing Therapy: The language and speech handicapped student has a communication problem involving his / her speaking, hearing, or overall language skills. The District makes available individual or small group therapy for articulation and language development.

Itinerant Teacher for the Hearing and Visually Impared: Some hearing impaired and visually handicapped students attend regular classes with an itinerant teacher providing support services according to the child's needs as determined in the IEP.

Part-time Special Placement

Resource Specialist Program: Resource specialists provide instruction and services for those students whose needs have been identified in an IEP and who are assigned to the regular classroom for a majority of the school day. The Resource Specialist Program may serve students representing a variety of handicapping conditions whose educational needs can be appropriately addressed within this part-time setting.

Special Class

Special Class for the Learning Disabled, Communicatively, Emotionally and Physically Handicapped: Special classes are situated on regular campuses and are designed to meet the specific educational needs of students with learning, language, emotional, or physical problems. A student is placed in one of these self-contained settings may be mainstreamed for one or more regular classes as appropriate. Students who demonstrate the ability to participate for more then half the school day in regular classes whole be eligible to transfer to the less restrictive Resource Specialist Program.

Non-Public Non-Sectarian Schools

Placement in non-public school is provided for those students whose educational needs cannot be met in the public schools.

State Special Schools

Special schools operated by the California State Department of Education sometimes serve as placement when a student's special needs warrant such a program.

Individualized Instruction in Home / Hospital

Students who have special needs and who cannot profit from special class placement in the regular school setting may be placed on home instruction. The student may be provided with up to 300 minutes of individual instruction at his / her home per week.

Special Education Philosophy

The Lompoc Unified School District is committed to meeting the educational needs of the exceptional child. All handicapped children from birth to age 22 are provided appropriate educational opprotunities. Excellent facilities and over 100 dedicated staff members provide for the needs of the child or student who is mentally handicapped, learning disabled, emotionally disturbed, physically handicapped, deaf, deaf / blind, visually handicapped, and speech and language impaired. Support services include psychologists, program specialists, and administrative staff.

An Individual Education Program (IEP) is developed at least annually for each of the more then 1000 students to ensure that each child receives a free and appropriate education designed to maximize his unique potential in the least restrictive educational environment. Those charged with these responsibilities welcome the opportunity to provide a rich and meaningful program to exceptional children, coordinated with the efforts of parents.

Finding and Serving Special Students

IDEA and California's Master Plan for Special Education guarantee a free appropriate public education for all children with exceptional needs who are between the ages of 3 and 22. If you know or suspect that your child or any other child has some kind of handicapping condition, contact Robert Altavilla, the Administrator of Special Education (805) 736-2371, x. 232.

Si Ud. Cree que so hijo/a pueda tener algun impedimento o invalidez que requiera un programa educativo especial dirijase a la oficina del Administrator de Education Exceptional, Robert Altavilla en Lompoc Unified School District (805) 736-2371, x. 232.

District Procedures

When a child is suspected of having an exceptional need, the school district will implement a series of procedures required by law to guarentee the rights of a disabled child in education. These procedures include:

These procedures guarentee that you, as a parent, and the Lompoc Unified School District will work together in the education of your child.