Staff

Special Education Director: The Special Education Director oversees all special education programs and services. Their role includes:

• supporting special education staff and programs as needed

• professional development for special education teachrs and paraprofessionals; coordinating with school directors on professional development for all staff

• reviewing and approving purchases of curriculum and materials (Purchase pre-approval form template)

• overseeing special programs such as Extended School Year and 18-21

• purchasing and provisioning assessment protocols

• Time and Effort reporting

• EDPlan data entry

• student records requests and transfers district-to-district

• records destruction and drop files

Medicaid Coordinator: The Network Schools access Medicaid funding when it is available and appropriate. We have a district Medicaid coordinator who is responsible for ensuring compliance with Medicaid Guidelines and law. The Medicaid coordinator submits billing for reimbursement. Every case manager is responsible for scanning signed Medicaid documents into EDPlan for the Medicaid coordinator to access in order to faciliate billing. Student data sheets (SDRs) will be completed by staff and provided to the Medicaid coordinator as hard copies.

Case Manager: At the Network Schools, the Case Manager is responsible for the student’s paperwork and coordinating services. The Case Manager is responsible to be in communication with team members to schedule meetings with parents and ensure all Special Education timelines are met. They also coordinate with any related services a student may receive to plan instruction and complete paperwork.

School Psychologist: The Network Schools employs a full-time School Psychologist shared between schools. The school psychologist may sit on your school’s MTSS/RTI team. They may also sit on other teams within your building. You will work with them regarding evaluations, behavior, interventions, special education procedures, etc.

Speech Language Pathologist: The Network Schools contracts with or employs Speech Language Pathologists provide services to students with communication disorders (e.g.,  articulation, fluency, stuttering, receptive and expressive language, etc.). They case manage their own students when those students are receiving only speech or language services. There is a speech language pathologist assigned to one or more schools. Speech language pathologists may participate in the school's MTSS/RTI team. They may also sit on other teams within your building. You will work with them to address any student communication concerns the team may have. An SLP is a required team member for any evaluation process where Autism Spectrum Disorder is a potential eligiblity category (Idaho Special Education Manual 2018, p. 46).

Occupational Therapist: The Network Schools contract with Occupational Therapists who consult on and treat fine motor and sensory concerns. They consult with how to help students access their environment and provide direct services to students whose IEP teams determine that OT is required as a related service in order for the student to benefit from their special education.

Paraprofessionals: At the Network Schools, paraprofessionals provide comprehensive support to staff and students under the direction of a certified teacher. You may have one or more paraprofessionals working in your classroom. It is your responsibility to oversee the instruction and intervention they provide to students. They are an invaluable member of your team and should be treated as such. As the certified professional in the classroom it is your responsibility to plan the instruction paraprofessionals will be providing to the students in your classroom. See the 2023 Paraprofessional Handbook.

Vision & Hearing Services: At the Network Schools, vision and hearing services are provided when they are determined to be necessary for a student. The Network Schools partner with the Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind (ISDB) located in Gooding, and with Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind (IESDB), whose Consulting Teachers work across the state. Consulting Teachers are assigned to each school by IESDB. It is the Case Manager's responsibility to be in contact with the appropriate Consulting Teacher for their students.