Special Education Services

Message from the Director 

Welcome to Galion City Schools!    

“Special education is not a place where children go for services, but services children receive in accordance with their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in the least restrictive environment."

director

The Vision and Mission of the Galion City School District Special Education Department, in collaboration with general education, parents, community and students, is to create an environment in which all students will become leaders of their own education. We continue to improve the performance of students with disabilities and assist in narrowing the achievement gap by ensuring equal access to the curriculum and differentiated instruction in the least restrictive environment (LRE). We work together to enhance strengths, recognize needs, and encourage responsible citizenship. It is our hope to foster independence and promote lifelong learning.

The Galion City School District acknowledges and supports the rights of all students to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) that will enable them to develop their unique talents and abilities, thus preparing them to participate in and serve their community with dignity and pride.  It is the commitment of Galion City Schools that students with disabilities have access to a full continuum of services while being educated with non-disabled peers to the maximum extent possible.

Doe vs. Ohio Department of Education is a class action lawsuit that has been in litigation since the early 1990s.  Here you will find the details of the proposed settlement.
Click here to view/download. 

504 Procedural Safeguard

The  main  purpose  of  Section  504  of  the  Rehabilitation  Act  of  1973  is  to  prevent discrimination  on  the  basis  of  disability.  To  that  end,  Section  504  of  the  Act  provides,  in pertinent  part,  as  follows:

No  otherwise  qualified  individual  with  a  disability  in  the  United  States  .  .  .  shall, solely  by  reason  of  her  or  his  disability,  be  excluded  from  the  participation  in,  be denied  the  benefits  of,  or  be  subjected  to  discrimination  under  any  program  or activity  receiving  Federal  financial  assistance.  .  .  . An  eligible  student  under  Section  504  is  a  student  who  currently  has  a  physical  or mental  impairment  that  substantially  limits  one  or  more  major  life  activities.

View the full description of the rights granted by federal law to students with 504 disabilities, their families and to those students & families who are suspected of having a 504 disability.

Download file here

Download Spanish Translation here

Learning Knows No Bounds (illustration of children holding hands)

"If a child cannot learn in the way we teach....
we must teach in a way the child can learn."
                                                ~Ivar Lovaas

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A Guide to Parent Rights in Special Education: Special Education Safeguards Notice

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Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew by Ellen Notbohm

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School Community Tool Kit