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Coventry Local Schools

Special Services

Special Services

Special Services
Welcome to the 2023-24 school year.  This is my 16th year overseeing the special education program for Coventry Local School District.  Approximately 326 of the students who attend Coventry, ages three through 22 years of age, have been identified as a student with a disability and are provided a free appropriate public education in accordance with federal and state laws and regulations.  Coventry Local Schools participates in federally funded Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA, Title VI-B) funding for school-age children.
 
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) provides for a free appropriate public education for all individuals with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 in the least restrictive environment. Coventry’s Office of Pupil Services oversees and provides a continuum of special education programs and services for all preschool and school-age students.
 
We are committed to providing children with disabilities the best conditions for learning while keeping in compliance with federal and state regulations. Our department fosters alignment with Ohio’s Operating Standards, Content Standards, and Performance Standards for Ohio’s Schools.
 
The Special Education programs in Coventry ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free and appropriate public education that emphasizes specially designed instruction to meet their unique needs. We offer a continuum of services for students who have been determined eligible for specially designed instruction.
 
Continuum of Services 

Preschool
Preschool Special Education Services are provided through a consortium with the Summit County Educational Service Center. Children between the ages of 3 to 5 years of age suspected of having a disability should contact the Summit County Educational Service Center to schedule a screening. Please click on the preschool link on the side of this page for more details on the preschool special education program.

School Age
General Education Classes with Intervention Specialist Support or Co-Teaching
Collaboration/consultation/co-teaching services focus on the general education teacher and intervention specialist working together to best meet the needs of students with disabilities as well as students who are either "at-risk" or gifted. Students receive all instruction in the general education classroom. This setting also allows for individual or small group instruction within the classroom but also for short periods of time to be pulled out for more intensive instruction and intervention. All programming is individualized to meet student needs.
 
Resource Rooms/Small Group Classes 
The Resource Room is a small group instructional setting that serves students with disabilities that require more intensive programming and supports. This setting follows the same academic standards at the general education classroom but also provides personalized options for students that are not offered in the general education classroom. Students are also included in the general education classroom as much as possible. 
 
Multi-Age/Multiple Disability Special Education Classrooms
This setting offers a modified curriculum, following Ohio's Learning Standards Extended, which provides personalized options for students that are not offered in the general education classroom.  Each building in the district houses at least one Multi-Age/Multiple Disabilities Resource Room. 
 
Separate Facility
Separate Facilities are offered for Coventry students and are outside of the district. These are designed specifically for students with disabilities and are a more intensive, smaller group setting. Placement at a separate facility is an IEP team decision.
 
Home Instruction
This is a highly individualized education program provided at home to a child with a disability which prevents the child from attending a regular or special program even with special education supports.
 
Related Services
Coventry Local Schools offers a wide variety of Related Services to qualifying students. These may include the following:
  • Aide Services
  • Audiological Services
  • Behavior Consultant Services
  • Deaf and/or Hard-of-Hearing Services
  • Interpreter Services
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Orientation and Mobility
  • Physical Therapy
  • School Psychological Services
  • Special Transportation
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Transition Services
  • Vision Services
Child Find
Child Find is the process of identifying, locating, and evaluating all children from age three to twenty-one who may have a disability and be in need of special education and related services, regardless of the severity of the disability. The district seeks to identify all children in the Coventry Local School District who attend a public or non-public school in the district or who are homeless or wards of the state who may be in need of special education and related services.
 
A child with a disability is a child having a cognitive disability, hearing impairment, visual impairment, speech or language impairment, serious emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairment, specific learning disability, deaf-blindness, or multiple disabilities.
 
Parents, relatives, and concerned citizens are asked to assist the Coventry Local School District to find any child who may have a disability and need special education and related services. If you are aware of a child who may have special needs, please notify the Director of Pupil Services for Coventry Local Schools at 330-644.0699 ext 1.
 
Please use the menu of links on our website for more information and access to other materials that may be of interest to you.   
I wish you all a great school year!
Melissa Dort, Director of Pupil Services