KRSD Special Education

Special education is instruction that is specially designed to meet the unique needs of children who have disabilities. Certain children with disabilities are eligible for special education and related services. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defines childhood disabilities to include a number of different emotional or physical conditions. Specifically, IDEA defines a “child with a disability” as a child with mental retardation; hearing, speech, or language impairments; visual impairments; orthopedic impairments; serious emotional disturbance; autism; traumatic brain injury; other health impairments; or specific learning disabilities, who for this reason, needs special education and related services.

Children with learning disabilities receive instruction designed to meet their needs that result from the disability and to help them learn the information and skills that their non-disabled classmates are learning.

Who is eligible for special education?

According to the IDEA, the disability must affect the child's educational performance. State and federal laws guarantee every student a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Each school district is responsible for identifying children who have a disability that could interfere with their learning and for making accommodations for that child so that they may have access to the general curriculum in order to be able to participate with regular education students to the maximum extent possible. More information about special education can be found at the New Hampshire Department of Education site.