Special Education Process at Prosperity Special Education and Support Services are available to Prosperity Heights to students who qualify in the areas of: *learning disabilities *speech and language *emotional/behavioral disorders *other health disabilities *early childhood special education Special Education students at Prosperity participate in the regular school schedule with their classmates, but typically receive support services from the Learning Disabilities Teacher (Heather Hara), Speech Clinician (Lanelle Baerenwald), School Social Worker (Jane Butterfoss), or School Nurse (Imma Anyanwu). Occupational Therapy (Pat Petras) and additional services such as adaptive physical education may be provided at school if needed. Assessment Process To gain access to Special Education Programs and Support Services, children must first be evaluated by a Child Study Team (Special Education staff listed above, and the School Psychologist, Bobbi Bjork-Mathiesen). Teachers or parents can initiate an evaluation. After appropriate interventions have been completed by the classroom teacher, permission for assessment will be obtained from the parents. After the assessment, a meeting will be called with the parents to discuss what the team has learned and to determine whether Special Education services are appropriate for the child. Parents are an essential part of every assessment and are directly involved in all decisions regarding their child. Together, parents and staff will develop an Individual Education Plan (IEP) with services to best meet the student's needs.  An IEP is updated annually and students are reassessed every three years. If you have any questions about Special Education at Prosperity Heights, please call Heather Hara or Jane Butterfoss at 293-8695. Updated 2009  Student Wellness   This is the Student Wellness site for the Saint Paul Public Schools.