Special Education and Related Services
YOU MIGHT HAVE ONE DISABILITY BUT YOU HAVE A THOUSAND ABILITIES.
The Office of Student Support Services ensures that all children with disabilities in Saluda County have access to a free appropriate public education (FAPE), protects the rights of these children and their parents, and provides guidance to the District's schools to provide the appropriate special educational services. Students with disabilities are served in the least restrictive environment, based upon individual needs. In an effort to meet the needs of students identified as having disabilities, Saluda County Schools has a full continuum of special education programs. Federal and state guidelines require that each student with disabilities participate with non-disabled students to the maximum extent appropriate to meet the needs of each student. "Continuum of services" refers to a range of placement options. The office promotes evaluation, educational services, and programs for all students with special needs that will enable them to lead productive and independent lives.
As defined by Individualized Education plans, students of Saluda County Schools are afforded the following services:
Services provided for students with disabilities ages 3-21:
Developmental Delay
Autism
Emotional Disability (ED)
Hearing Impairment (Hl)
Intellectual Disability (Mild, Moderate, Severe)
Learning Disability (LD)
Orthopedic Impairment (OI)
Other Health Impairment (OHI)
Speech or Language Impairment (SI)
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Visual Impairment (VI)
Related services required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education include:
Audiological Services
Applied Behavior Therapy
Academic Assistance
Counseling Services
Interpreting Services
Occupational Therapy
Orientation & Mobility
Parent Counseling and Training
Physical Therapy
Psychological Services
School Health Services
School Nurse Services
Specialized Transportation
Saluda County Schools special education procedures follow the Special Education Process Guide for South Carolina (3/2013) and may be accessed at the link below.
Private School and Home-school Students within Saluda School District Jurisdiction
Each school district must locate, identify, and evaluate all private school and home-schooled students with disabilities, including students residing within the jurisdiction of the Saluda School District who attend religious schools. These students must be included in the school district’s Child Find activities as approved by the South Carolina Department of Education.
Saluda County Schools is committed to collaborating with parents and families that home-school their child(ren) and/or choose to place the child(ren) in a private school setting. This notice serves as an open invitation to meet and discuss the provisions of special education services that may be needed for students with disabilities in these settings. If you reside within the Saluda School District attendance zone and suspect that your student may have a special need and wish to schedule a time to meet, please contact Holly Shealy at 864-445-8441.
Child Find
The Office of Student Support Services of Saluda County Schools requests your help in the location and identification of all children with disabilities not currently being served. South Carolina statutes require public schools to provide appropriate educational programs for disabled children between the ages of three and twenty-one years.
Current categories of disabilities are a preschool child with a disability, developmentally delayed, speech/language impairment, orthopedic impairment, visual impairment, other health impairments, deaf-blindness, autism, traumatic brain injury, multiple disabilities, intellectual disability, specific learning disability, deaf and hard of hearing, and emotional disability.
Anyone who is aware of any child suspected of having any of these disabilities can contact Ms. Holly Shealy at 864-445-8441 weekdays between the hours of 8:00a.m. and 4:30p.m.. The names of the referral person will remain confidential.