Special Education Department
Meet our Special Education Team!
Resource Classrooms
My name is Mindy Humphries. I live in Shelby, North Carolina. I have been married to my best friend, Ronnie Humphries for 31 years. I have 2 daughters, Natalie is 24 and finishing her degree in accounting. My daughter and son in law, Mallory and Josh live in Charlotte with my precious granddaughter Gianna. I have taught school for 31 years, most recently at Boiling Springs (NC) Elementary. I graduated from Appalachian State University and received my masters from Converse College. I love to read, work in my yard, and spend time with my family.
My name is Angela S. Crosby and I serve in the Special Education department and bring a plethora of experience from Spartanburg District 7. I have been married for 15 years and have 2 children. My favorite quote is. "When you change the way you look at things, you watch the things you look at change."
My name is Melinda Peeler and I have a BA in IDS from USC Upstate while I'm working on a Masters of English at Converse College, This is my 5th year working 1:1 in the SPED department. This is also my first year here at CCA.
In the resource classrooms, we work on individualized goal areas that are identified in each student's Individualized Education Plan. Our goal is for every child to make progress on his or her specific goals while working towards these goals in their least restrictive environment. Weekly progress monitoring data is kept on each student in order to track student progress on a consistent basis. Annual goal progress reports are sent home quarterly, with report cards, to inform parents of goal progress.
Self-Contained Classroom
Patricia Newman is the SPED Self-Contained teacher this year! She graduated from USC Upstate in 2012 with her Bachelors in SPED and Learning Disabilities. She has been working with children for over 13 years! She resides in Pacolet, SC with her two children.
This is her first year at CCA, but she is very excited to be here! Her job as the teacher in the self-contained classroom is to deliver individualized instruction in all subject areas and help reach goals set in the IEP. Our students will be in one classroom together, all while they will attend their specials with their own grade levels. This will allow time with their peers in the general education classroom.
The assistant in the SPED Self-Contained classroom is Brittney Staley. Brittney has worked in the SPED classroom before and is familiar with the protocols and children. Her job is to help implement instruction and stand in as needed.
Ms. Newman and Ms. Staley work well together in the classroom and ensure the students meet goals and expectations.
Speech Therapy Room
My name is Taylor Helms and I am the Speech Therapist this year. I currently reside in Shelby, NC with my husband. I graduated from the University of Maine with a Bachelor's degree (2017) and Master's degree (2019) in Communication Sciences and Disorders. This is my 2nd year as a fully licensed Speech Language Pathologist and this is my first year working at CCA. My job is to provide individualized instruction to help students improve their articulation skills, speech fluency skills, expressive and receptive language skills, social-emotional skills, and so much more! I believe that learning can be fun and I try to incorporate games and activities as much as possible. I love working with students of all ages and I am excited for the school year ahead!
How does a child become a part of the Special Education Program?
It is important to understand that not all children grow and make progress at the same rate. Sometimes, students simply need more time to develop certain skills. Due to this, there is a process in place to give students, who show concerns, interventions prior to testing for special education. If the interventions put in place are not successful, a formal request may be made to the special education department requesting an evaluation. Once an evaluation is requested, an evaluation planning meeting will be scheduled in order to start the testing process. If you are concerned that your child may have a disability, please contact Sarah Love, Assistant Director of Special Education. She is located in Columbia, SC with the Charter Institute at Erskine. Her direct line is (803) 605-7249 or slove@erskinecharters.org. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
