Lakeview School District Special Education

The Lakeview School District serves students with disabilities in grades K-12. Lakeview offers a wide range of services in order to appropriately meet the needs of all students. The district ensures a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment for students through the IEP process. Each individual student’s needs are addressed on a case by case basis.

The Lakeview School District student enrollment is 860.  We currently service 213 special education students, this is 25% of our student population. 

Currently, the district provides special education programs at Oakview Elementary, at Lakeview Middle/High School. Students in grades K-5 attend Oakview Elementary where they are supported by three special education teachers, two classroom instructional aides, and three personal care aides. The elementary builidng also has one speech and language clinician.  As a district, we contract support providers through Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV for the following services: physical therapy, occupational therapy, hearing impaired support, vision support, and assistive technology support. Oakview hosts an Early Intervention Classroom operated by Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV as well as a Head Start program.

Students in grades 6-8 are supported by three special education teachers, one speech and language clinician, two classroom instructional aides, and a personal care aide.  Students receive support in: occupational therapy, hearing impaired support, physical therapy, and assistive technology through Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV staff. 

The high school serves students in grades 9-12. They are supported by four special education teachers, one classroom instructional aide, and one personal care aide.  Our middle/high school speech and language clinician also serves as the district's dysphagia support.  High school students receive related service support in the following areas:  occupational therapy, hearing and vision impaired support, physical therapy, and assistive technology.  The services are contracted through the Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV staff and other local providers as needed. 

Additionally, Lakeview contracts with Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV and other local educational providers to provide appropriate specific educational settings and programs for students with low incidence disabilities that require more intensive services than those offered by the District. Lakeview strives to educate as many special education students as possible in their district of residence, so this number remains very small.

The Lakeview School District provides quality programs and services to all of its students. The District is very proud of the inclusion programs operated in each of its buildings and fully promotes inclusionary practices and effective teaching strategies in order to accommodate students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment.  As a result, Lakeview is able to educate most special education students within the district. Each student’s strengths and weaknesses are evaluated on an individual basis by the IEP Team, and decisions are always based upon the needs of the child and not on cost or location. Some children, however, cannot be appropriately served in their neighborhood school because of their unique needs; therefore, are served in other settings as determined by the IEP Team.

The district obtained 100% compliance in its Cyclical Monitoring, conducted in 2016.  Our compliance rate demonstrates the District’s commitment to providing students with disabilities quality programs and services in the least restrictive environment. The evaluation was conducted by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Special Education (BASE). The District received commendations for strong implementation of co-teaching and inclusive practices.

Furthermore, parents of special needs children in the Lakeview School District have consistently expressed their satisfaction with the academic programs and services provided by the district. They are very pleased with the progress their children have made throughout their educational experiences. Parents have shared their praise during IEP meetings, phone conversations with administrators and staff, and through written correspondence. Historically, there has been a high level of parent participation in IEP meetings. There are well-established, positive relationships between the teachers and parents within the District, as well as with other educational providers, agencies, and neighboring schools. In an effort to further enhance parent engagement in the educational process, the District has posted numerous resources and training announcements on the Special Education Webpage.