Special Education
Our goal is to provide information to our families and community concerning the special education process. The Special Education Department strives to focus on our student’s strengths to help them achieve their highest potential. Coloma Community Schools is committed to provide students with barriers to learning, a free and appropriate education consistent with federal and state laws. Students are eligible through our evaluation process of having an identified disability according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Michigan Administrative Rules of Special Education (MARSE). Please follow this link for our procedures for determining the district’s criteria for eligibility of a specific learning disability.
An integral part of the Special Education Department is to provide evaluation services for all students suspected of having a disability. Free evaluation Child Find services are conducted by a team of educational specialists. If you have concerns about your child’s educational development in school, please contact the Department at 274 South West Street, Coloma, MI 49038, telephone (269) 468-2415, for further information to refer a student.
Coloma Community Schools offers a broad continuum of programs and services that are available to our students. These programs are designed to meet the individual needs of eligible student’s ages 0-26 years old.
Families with students nearing post-secondary age can follow this link for information on transition services for their student. For more information on the use of the Personal Curriculum for high school special education students please follow this link.
Services for children ages 0 to 3 years of age are provided in collaboration with the Berrien Regional Education Service Agency (BRESA) through the Child Find process. Please call the BRESA Early Childhood Services Program at (269) 471-7725 for information on these early services.
At Coloma Community Schools, emphasis is placed on educating students in their neighborhood schools to the maximum extent appropriate. However, all educational decisions about programs and services for students, must be based on each student’s needs by the Individual Educational Planning (IEP) team. Parental involvement in these decisions is critical. Specialized programs for some students are offered at identified school buildings. In addition, some students may benefit from specialized programs offered in collaboration with the Berrien Regional Education Service Agency or other cooperating local school districts.
Ancillary services such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, school social work, school psychology, orientation and mobility, and various specialized teacher consultant services, are provided based on each student’s Individual Educational Plan.
Please follow this link for additional resources: Parent Resources