Special Education services in Atwood-Heights District #125 are an integral part of the school program.  Services include evaluating and providing appropriate services for students with disabilities.  These services are provided through district programs as well as through services and programs provided cooperatively with the Eisenhower Special Education Cooperative.

Special education may differ from the regular education program in content, rate, emphasis, class size, and/or location. 

Disability categories include:  Cognitive, Orthopedic, Specific Learning Disability, Visual, Hearing, Speech/Language, Emotional Disabilities as well as Other Health Impairment, Autism and Traumatic Brain Injury.

Special Education support services include speech/language, occupational and physical therapy, social work/counseling, hearing and vision itinerant services, and home and hospital services for children who must be absent from school for extended periods. Additional specialized support is provided as needed.

Children are found eligible for special education services through a referral and evaluation process to determine whether a child has a disability that adversely affects his or her educational performance.  Parent consent is required for student evaluation and initial placement in any special education program.

An Individual Education Plan (IEP) is developed for all children receiving special education services that is reviewed annually with parents.

District 125 is also responsible for providing early childhood special programs for eligible children ages 3 - 5.  The district offers a pre-school screening program in which 3 and 4-year-olds are evaluated in the areas of vision, hearing, speech, language, and other developmental processes to identify those children who may be in need of further evaluation for early childhood services.  If you have concerns about your preschooler's development, please contact Lawn Manor Primary Center at 708-423-3078 to discuss your concerns.

Important:
Questions regarding programs and services offered by the district as well as questions regarding the rules and regulations governing the administration of Special Education Programs should be directed to Mrs. Laura Gray, District Special Education Coordinator, at (708) 388-6958.

Related Service Log Notice Language

The District maintains related service log records that document the type of related services administered under a student's individualized education program (IEP). The related service logs also record the minutes of related services that have been administered. This notice is to inform parents and guardians of their ability to request copies of IEP related service log records maintained for their child. Please direct any requests for a copy of IEP related service records for your child to the social work or counselor at your child's school. 

Interpreter Requests Notice

Interpreters are available for all Eligibility and IEP eligibility for parents of children with disabilities. The parent has the right to request that the interpreter serve no other role in the IEP meeting than as interpreter and the district will make every effort to fulfill that request. Parents may request an interpreter and the language required through their child's case manager at the time that the IEP meeting is scheduled. Any questions and/or complaints about interpretation services may be addressed to Laura Gray at (708)388-6958 or lgray@ahsd125.org.

Case Managers:

Early Childhood- Michelle Tosch (mtosch@ahsd125.org)

Lawn Manor- Meghan Cooke (mkline@ahsd125.org)

Meadow Lane- Amy Jones (ajones@ahsd125.org)

Hamlin- Micah Florey (mflorey@ahsd125.org)

Draft IEP Documents Notice

The district will ensure that a draft of all reports to be discussed at a child's IEP as well as draft copies of all Eligibility and/or IEP documents will be made available to parents/guardians three days prior to a student's IEP meeting.