Our mission is to maximize student outcomes.
Our vision is to be the innovative leader that inspires, creates and implements best practices in education for all.
Believing:
all students can learn.
independence, dignity and equity are the rights of all.
to best serve students, we develop and sustain collaborative relationships.
Teaching:
is student centered, solution focused, and considers the unique identities of students that provides equity and inclusion.
is data informed, standards-aligned, evidence based, rigorous, and high quality.
prepares students to lead enriched and productive lives within their communities.
Leading:
through ongoing professional development to equip educators with best practice skills and competencies.
by influencing and implementing federal and state mandates for special and general education.
by being a resource for new research and initiatives in education.
through partnerships which value the diversity and perspectives of stakeholders.
The Executive Director directs the administration in order to manage SASED and to facilitate the implementation of a quality educational program in alignment with Board policy 1:30, SASED Philosophy. Specific goals and objectives are to:
Provide educational expertise.
Plan, organize, implement, and evaluate educational programs that will provide for students' mastery of the Illinois Learning Standards.
Meet or exceed student performance and academic improvement goals established by the Board.
Develop and maintain channels for communication between the school and community.
Develop an administrative procedures manual and handbooks for personnel and students that are in alignment with Board policy.
Manage SASED's fiscal and business activities to ensure financial health, cost-effectiveness, and protection of SASED's assets.
Provide for the proper use, reasonable care, and appropriate maintenance of SASED's real and personal property, including buildings, equipment, and supplies.
SASED Administrative Center
2900 Ogden Avenue
Lisle, IL 60532
Tel: (630) 778-4500
Fax: (630) 778-0196
Dr. Kim Dryier, Ph.D. Ms. Rachel Wisniewski Dr. Elizabeth Vander Woude
Executive Director Assistant Dir. of Business/CSBO Assistant Dir. of Programs and Services
kdryier@sased.org rwisniewski@sased.org evanderwoude@sased.org
(630) 955-8104 (630) 955-8105 (630) 955-8102
Dr. Julia Wheaton Mr. Dan Lawler
Interim Chief Human Resource Officer Technology Coordinator
Jwheaton@sased.org dlawler@sased.org
(630) 955-8107 (630) 955-8098
Other SASED Sites:
SASED Transition Center (Transition Program)
2900 Ogden Avenue
Lisle, IL 60532
Administrator: Amy Gebre (630) 955-8075 email: agebre@sased.org
Southeast School (Pathways Program)
6 S 331 Cornwall Road
Naperville, IL 60540
Tel: (630) 778-4510 Fax: (630) 778-0503
Principal: Laura Lopez (630) 778-4510 ext 7107 email: llopez@sased.org
Assistant Principal: Andrew Shelby (630) 778-4510 email: ashelby@sased.org
SASED Lisle South (Supportive Medical Needs Program)
5205 Kingston Avenue
Lisle, IL 60532
Tel: (224) 651-6523
Administrator: Kati Curby (331) 771-1792 email: kcurby@sased.org
BOARD INFORMATION
SASED has two Boards. The Governing Board is the final authority which conducts the affairs of SASED and is comprised of Board of Education members from the eighteen (18) SASED member districts. The Board of Directors governs the day-to-day activities of SASED and is comprised of superintendents from the eighteen (18) member districts.
Governing Board Members and Meeting Schedule Board of Directors Members and Meeting Schedule
The Board of Directors has hired the following administrative staff to operate the cooperative:
Executive Director
Assistant Director of Business, CSBO
Assistant Director of Programs and Services
Chief Human Resource Officer
Technology Coordinator
School Improvement Instructional Support-Assistive Technology Administrator
Occupational and Physical Therapy Coordinator
Transition & Project SEARCH Program Administrator
Supportive Medical Needs Program Administrator
Structured Learning Environment Program Administrator(s)
Visually Impaired Program Administrator
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program Administrator
Program Coordinator(s)
IEP Compliance Manager(s)
Audiologist
Southeast-Pathways Principal
Southeast-Pathways Assistant Principal
SASED Staff Directory can be found on the SASED website at http://www.sased.org.
SASED Program Calendar 2025-2026 (Lisle South, Pathways, Transition, and Winfield Primary)
All other programs follow their host district calendars
Students may receive transportation as defined in the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). Prior to the first day of attendance, the transportation company will contact the student’s family with information about pick-up and drop-off times. The driver is only able to wait approximately three minutes for the student to exit their home before moving on to the next stop. Specific questions regarding pick-up and drop-off times should be directed to your student's home district representative.
Before 9:30 a.m. on the day of the student’s absence, the Parent/Guardian must report their student’s absence.
For all Southeast students, call (630) 778-4510
For all other SASED programs and students, call (630) 778-4500
The Parent/Guardian should report their student’s name, their name and relationship to student, the date of the absence, the reason for the absence, and a contact number in case clarification is needed.
As early as possible on the day of their student’s absence, the parent/guardian must call their student’s transportation company to report their student’s absence.
Note: In instances of chronic absences, SASED may place a student on a Student Attendance Contract and may request a physician’s statement to certify the absences. Chronic unexcused absences may be referred to the County Truancy Office.
Note: Individual cases of extended absences can be documented via a mutual agreement between the parent/guardian and administrator.
STUDENT RECORDS
A school student record is any writing or other recorded information concerning a student and by which a student may be identified individually that is maintained by a school or at its direction or by a school employee, regardless of how or where the information is stored, except for certain records kept in a staff member’s sole possession; records maintained by law enforcement officers working in the school; video and other electronic recordings (including electronic recordings made on school busses) that are created in part for law enforcement, security, or safety reasons or purposes, though such electronic recordings may become a student record if the content is used for disciplinary or special education purposes regarding a particular student.
Equal educational and extracurricular opportunities shall be available for all students without regard to color, race, nationality, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, gender identity, status of being homeless, immigration status, order of protection status, actual or potential marital or parental status, including pregnancy. Further, SASED will not knowingly enter into agreements with any entity or any individual that discriminates against students on the basis of sex or any other protected status. Any student may file a discrimination grievance by using Board policy 2:260, Uniform Grievance Procedure.
The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) maintains a statewide database known as the PUNS database (Prioritization of Urgency of Need for Services) that records information about individuals with intellectual disabilities or developmental disabilities who are potentially in need of services.
IDHS uses the data on PUNS to select individuals for services as funding becomes available, to develop proposals and materials for budgeting, and to plan for future needs. The PUNS database is available for children with intellectual disabilities or developmental disabilities with unmet service needs.
Registration to be included on the PUNS database is the first step toward receiving developmental disabilities services in this State. A child who is not on the PUNS database will not be in the queue for State developmental disabilities services.
For more information and to sign up for PUNS, see the Illinois Department of Human Services PUNS information page at https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=41131.
For additional support, please contact:
Dr. Elizabeth Vander Woude at evanderwoude@sased.org
Requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act are to be submitted to the FOIA Officer in writing via postal mail, fax, email, or in person at the address listed below. FOIA Information
SASED FOIA Officer:
Rachel Wisniewski
2900 Ogden Avenue
Lisle, IL 60532
Tel: 630-955-8105
Fax: 630-778-0196
Access to SASED classrooms and personnel is permitted in limited situations by Section 105 ILCS 5/14-8.02(g-5), amended by P.A. 96-657. Guidelines follow:
1. These guidelines apply to access requested by the parent/guardian of a student receiving special education services, or being evaluated for eligibility, an independent educational evaluator, or a qualified professional retained by or on behalf of a parent/guardian or child. A qualified professional means "an individual who holds credentials to evaluate the child in the domain or domains for which an evaluation is sought or an intern working under the direct supervision of a qualified professional, including a master's or doctoral degree candidate." These individuals are referred to in this procedure as visitors.
2. Visitors will be afforded reasonable access to SASED educational facilities, personnel, classrooms, and buildings and to the child. To minimize disruption, reasonable access means that the parent(s)/guardian(s) or qualified professional retained by or on behalf of a parent/guardian or child is allowed access once per school quarter for up to one hour or one class period. A visitor may request the authorized SASED administrator to grant longer or additional observations based on individual circumstances and provide any supporting documentation in support of such a request. A professional evaluator can request longer or additional observations in his or her initial request. The SASED administrator may grant, deny, or modify the request and the administrator's decision shall be final.
3. Visitors must comply with:
a) School safety, security, and SASED/Host District visitation policies at all times.
b) Applicable privacy laws, including those laws protecting the confidentiality of education records such as the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Illinois School Student Records Act.
c) SASED/Host District Board policy 8:30, Visitors to and Conduct on School Property. They may not disrupt the educational process.
4. If the visitor is a parent/guardian, he or she will be afforded reasonable access as described above for the purpose of:
a) Observing his or her child in the child's current educational placement, services, or program,or;
b) Visiting an educational placement or program proposed for the child by the IBP team and arranged through the referring district.
5. If the visitor is an independent educational evaluator or a qualified professional retained by or on behalf of a parent or child, he or she must be afforded reasonable access of sufficient duration and scope for the purpose of conducting an evaluation of the child, the child's performance, the child's current educational program, placement, services, or environment, or any educational program, placement, services, or environment proposed for the child, including interviews of educational personnel, child observations, assessments, tests or assessments of the child's educational program, services, or placement or of any educational program proposed by the IBP team, services, or placement. If one or more interviews of SASED or host district school personnel are part of the evaluation, the interviews must be conducted at a mutually agreed upon time, date, and place that do not interfere with the employee's school duties. In collaboration with the host district administration (when applicable) the SASED administrator may limit interviews to personnel having information relevant to the child's current educational services, program, or placement or to a proposed educational service, program, or placement.
6. Prior to visiting a school, school building, or school facility, a visitor must complete 6:120- AP2, El, Request to Access Classroom(s) or Personnel for Special Education Evaluation and/or Observation Purposes. This form serves to:
a) Inform the SASED administrator and the administrator in the student's district of residence in writing of the proposed visit(s), the purpose, and the duration, and
b) Identify requested dates/times for the visit(s) to facilitate scheduling.
7. The student's parent/guardian must consent in writing to the student being interviewed by the named evaluator as part of a visit. The parent/guardian will grant this consent by completing 6:120-AP2, El, Request to Access Classroom(s) or Personnel for Special Education Evaluation and/or Observation Purposes.
8. The student's parent/guardian, or the student if he or she is over the age of 18, must execute an Authorization to Release Student Record Information before an independent educational evaluator or a qualified professional retained by or on behalf of a parent/guardian or child will be given access to student school records or to personnel who would likely release such records during discussions about the student. If a student is over the age of 12 and the records contain mental health and/or developmental disability information, the student must also be requested to sign the Authorization to Release information before any observation by or disclosure of school student records or information to a visitor.
9. The visitor must acknowledge, before the visit, that he or she is obligated to honor all students' confidentiality rights and refrain from any re-disclosure of such records. The visitor will provide this acknowledgment and agreement by completing 6:120-AP2, El, Request to Access Classroom(s) or Personnel for Special Education Evaluation and/or Observation Purposes.
10. The SASED Administrator will attempt to arrange the visit(s) at times that are mutually agreeable. The SASED Administrator or designee will accompany any visitor for the duration of the visit, including during any interviews of staff members.
11. If the visitor is a professional retained by the parent/guardian, the visitor must provide identification and credentials before the visit.
12. This procedure applies to any public-school facility, building, or program and to any facility, building, or program supported in whole or in part by public funds. The student’s case manager or other SASED designee must facilitate such visit(s) when the student attends a program outside of the School District, such as at a private day program or residential program, provided it is supported in whole or in part by public funds. (School Association for Special Education in DuPage (SASED) 6:120-AP-See Appendix)
Individuals with disabilities will be provided with an opportunity to participate in all school-sponsored services, programs, or activities. Individuals with disabilities should notify the SASED Administrator if they have a disability that will require special assistance or services and, if so, what services are required. This notification should occur as far in advance as possible of the school-sponsored function, program, or meeting.
Students are placed in a SASED program by the special education team at their home school followingthe IEP meeting. A SASED representative will make every effort to attend the Individualized Education Program (IEP) conference at the student’s home school. Students and parents are required to complete the SASED Program Enrollment Packet before the student’s first day of attendance. The enrollment packet includes emergency information and permission forms. The enrollment packet is given to parents prior to initial placement and is sent home to returning students each year in August. Students are required to register each year at their home school. When registering at their home school, students may receive a student ID and other important district information.