Special Services
Serving students with disabilities and special needs, as well as their families
The Special Services Department is comprised of three specific areas that support students: Exceptional Education, 504, and Health Services. The focus of the department is to provide students with disabilities or health-related challenges the tools and resources to benefit from their educational program.
It is the intent of the Gulf Shores City School System to meet the individual needs of students with special needs in an efficient and timely manner. Each child is evaluated and an educational program developed to meet the individual needs of that student. The following information summarizes the responsibility of the school system and defines the areas in which students can be identified as having a disability.
Services
Special Education Process
Exceptional Education
Exceptional education is not a “place:” rather, it is a set of services. The district’s goal is to partner with families regarding the individual needs of children. The Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the federal legislation that helps guide school teams and families in the qualification of students and the development of Individualized Education Programs (IEP). GSCS has a continuum of services to meet the needs of our diverse student population.
Section 504 Services
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (“Section 504”) is a federal civil rights law. It is designed to eliminate disability discrimination in programs and activities that receive federal funds. Since all public school districts receive federal funds, all public school districts must comply with Section 504. Under Section 504, denying a disabled student a free appropriate public education (“FAPE”) is disability discrimination.
Health Services
Health services in GSCS are designed to ensure schools have the resources and systems to provide students with the health-related care needed to access school. Duties of Health Services include medication management, health care collaboration, monitoring of life-threatening emergency care plans, and general oversight of student medical related needs.
Training and Resources Available for Parents
Areas of Qualification
- Autism
- Child Find
- Deaf-Blindness
- Developmental Delay
- Emotional Disability
- Hearing Impairment
- Intellectual Disability
- Multiple Disabilities
- Orthopedic Impairment
- Other Health Impairment
- Specific Learning Disability
- Speech and Language Impairment
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Visual Impairment