Special Education
serving as the voice, advocate, and visionary for our students.
- SPED Department
- Educational Rights
- Student Standards
- Cameras in SPED Classrooms
- A Life of Independency
- Resources
- Staff Directory
- Student & Classroom Spotlights
SPED Department
Mission Statement
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serve as the voice, advocate, and visionary for our students, ages 3-21, with special and unique needs
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improve the excellence of identification, evaluation, service, and training
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provide the supports that are needed for each child to achieve his or her potential level of education in order to promote independence and productivity after graduation
Tangipahoa Parish Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC)
The mission of the Tangipahoa Public School System (TPSS) Special Education Department is to:
- Serve as the voice, advocate, and visionary for our students, ages 3-21 with special and unique needs
- Improve the excellence of identification, evaluation, service, and training
- Provide the supports that are needed for each child to achieve his or her potential level of education in order to promote independence and productivity after graduation
TPSS Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) focus is on parish wide issues impacting special education. The SEAC believes all student with disabilities have the right to a free and appropriate public education in a safe environment conducive to learning.
SEAC membership is established through LA ACT 576
(https://legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1289784)
Each SEAC shall meet at least three times a year and shall submit a written report to the local public school superintendent and the LDOE Special Education Advisory Panel in May of each year regarding its activities. The local school superintendent shall ensure that the report is posted on the district’s website.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding SEAC, please contact Mrs. Rachel DiBenedetto, Special Education Coordinator at (985) 310-2121 or rachel.dibenedetto@tangischools.org.
TPSS is seeking membership for vacant positions on the 2022-2023 SEAC (Special Education Council). If you are interested in participating, please complete this form. The deadline to submit the form is September 30, 2023
Educational Rights
Student Standards
Cameras in SPED Classrooms
Cameras in SPED Classrooms
Requesting Installation of Cameras in Students With Exceptionalities Classrooms
Consistent with La. R.S. 17:1948, a parent or legal guardian may request the installation of a video and audio camera in a special education, self-contained classroom or other special education setting. For more information, please see Tangipahoa Parish School Board policy IDDFC.
Request for Reviewing of Video/Audio Recording in a Students With Exceptionalities Classroom
Consistent with La. R.S. 17:1948, a parent or legal guardian may request “to review a recording” of cameras installed in a special education, self-contained classroom or other special education setting. The state statute also allows for “limitations to a request.” For more information, please see Tangipahoa Parish School Board policy IDDFC.
A Life of Independency
Students work together to pick fresh vegetables from a garden which they helped to plant, water, and grow.
Student works in PAES Lab to acquire job readiness skills.
Students craft Christmas trees and sleighs out of candy.
Students learn important life skills and job skills while working in the Unique Learning System Curriculum.
Resources
Resources
- Ability Path - inspiring inclusion
- AdLit - Study Skills & Homework Tips
- American Foundation for the Blind
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
- Autism Speaks
- CAST: Center for Applied Special Technology
- CHADD
- Do2Learn - a resource for individuals with special needs
- Homework Louisiana - free online tutoring, test prep, job search assistance and resources.
- LD Online - All about learning disabilities and ADHD
- National PTA - Special Education Toolkit
- Reading Rockets - Reading Tips for Parents
- Tar Heel Reader - a collection of free, easy-to-read, and accessible books.
- Text to Speech (TTS) Software Programs and Online Tools
- U.S. Department of Education - SPED Resources for Parents
- Very Well Mind - Homework Help for Students with ADHD
Staff Directory
- Pupil Appraisal Coordinator
- Special Education Coordinator
- Child Search Coordinator
- IEP Program Facilitators
- Special Education Secondary Program Facilitator
- Special Education Elementary Program Facilitator
- Coordinator of School Wide Intervention Program
- Special Education Technology Facilitator
- OT/PT Coordinator
Pupil Appraisal Coordinator
Susan DuBois
Pupil Appraisal Coordinator
Phone: 310-2176 or 52135 Fax: 542-9947
susan.dubois@tangischools.org
- Pupil Appraisal Teams
- Discipline (SPED)
- Interim Placement
- Disproportionality Issues
- Child Find
- Bulletin 1508: Pupil Appraisal Handbook
- Evaluations/Reevaluations
- Medicaid Audits
- Surrogate Parents
- OCR Complaints
- Talented Evaluations
- ISC Meetings
Immediate Supervisor to SPED: FBA Social Workers, Coordinator of School Wide Intervention, Pupil Appraisal, Behavior Intervention Specialists, Speech Diagnosticians
Special Education Coordinator
Rachel DiBenedetto Special Education Coordinator Phone: 310-2121 or 52121 Rachel.dibenedetto@tangischools.org
Immediate Supervisor to SPED: SPED Program Facilitators, OTs, PTs, ATs, APE teachers, Teachers of Private and Parochial Schools, Teachers of Visually Impaired |
Child Search Coordinator
Melissa Neeson
Child Search Coordinator
Phone: 310-2156
melissa.neeson@tangischools.org
- Community Outreach
- Evaluations: Home Schooled and Non-Accredited Schools
- ODR: Headstart IEPs, Pre-K, Private/Parochial Pre-K
- Preschool Special Education Program
- Itinerant Preschool
- TS Gold
- Oversees Transition: Ages 2-3
- Referrals: Ages 3-5
- Transition Compliance Report: Part C, Child Search Annual Report
- Mileage: Child Search
Immediate Supervisor to: Child Search
IEP Program Facilitators
IEP Program Facilitators
Fax: (985) 277-5004
Akira Cowart
Phone: 310-2140 or 52140
akira.cowart@tangischools.org
Tara Kinchen
Phone: 310-2142 or 52142
tara.kinchen@tangischools.org
Willisia Tillery
Phone: 310-2163 or 52163
willisia.tillery@tangischools.org
- Receive Request Forms for Student Attendants (Initial and Review)
- IEP Compliance and Monitoring
- Service Plans
Special Education Secondary Program Facilitator
Mildred Johnson
Transition Coordinator
Phone: 310-2102 or 52102
mildred.johnson@tangischools.org
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Supplementary Curriculum Materials
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Community Based Instruction
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April Dunn Act 833
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Pupil Progression: 7-12
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Transition
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Transportation Requests: CBI Field Trips
Special Education Elementary Program Facilitator
Shannon Cusimano
Special Education Elementary Program Facilitator
Phone: 310-2164 or 52164
shannon.cusimano@tangischools.org
- Supplementary Curriculum Materials/Unique
- Class Projections: Pre-K
- Pre-K Blended Classrooms
- LEAP Connect
Coordinator of School Wide Intervention Program
Regina Roberts
Coordinator of School Wide Intervention Program
Phone: 310-2146 or 52146
regina.roberts@tangischools.org
- Literacy/Numeracy Intervention
- Multi-Tier Process
- eGrant (Early Intervening)
- Pre-Referral Intervention Activities
- Professional Development: Intervention Strategies, Data Analysis
- Response to Intervention-Screening
Special Education Technology Facilitator
Erin Rick
Special Education Technology Facilitator
Phone: 310-2150 or 52150
erin.rick@tangischools.org
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Computers/Technology Equipment
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Paraeducator Training
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SER Training, Contact Person
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Liaison to Technology Department
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Assist with AT, VI Programs
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SPED Resources
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AIM Liaison
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Special Education Website
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End-of-Year Closeout Procedures
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Supplementary Curriculum/Vizzle
OT/PT Coordinator
Tammy Scimeca
OT/PT Coordinator
tammy.scimeca@tangischools.org
- OTs, PTs, ATs
- APE Teachers
- Medicaid Billing
Student & Classroom Spotlights
Khalil McKnight, 12th Grade Hammond High | NOCCA Visual Arts Level III
NOCCA Visual Arts Student Selected As Finalist In Prestigious YoungArts Competition
New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) Visual Arts student and Hammond High Magnet senior, Khalil McKnight was notified by the National YoungArts Foundation that he has been chosen as a YoungArts Finalist.
Khalil will travel to Miami in January for National YoungArts Week to collaborate with peers and exhibit his work. As a finalist in his senior year, he is also eligible for nomination as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts-one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students.
The YoungArts program has been identifying, recognizing and inspiring America’s most outstanding young artists since 1981.
Artist Statement
My work centers around the idea of police brutality and the inescapability of racial stereotypes. Inspired by Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, I depict myself in situations where I’m either unable to be recognized as an individual, or am only recognized by the clothing I wear. Unfit to free myself from the shackles of prejudice, I look into the eyes of viewers, pleading to them, yet showing acceptance by my disposition to the inevitability of my oppression. Black hoodies and the naked, vulnerable, body are a common motif throughout my work. The juxtaposition between clothed and unclothed ironically illustrate how stereotypes strip us of our unique identities and force us to conform to society’s ideals of the black male.
NOCCA
NOCCA provides arts training in Classical Music, Creative Writing, Culinary Arts, Dance, Drama, Jazz, Media Arts, Musical Theatre, Entertainment Production Design, Vocal Music, and Visual Arts to high school students across Louisiana. Admission is by audition, and tuition is free. Interested students should visit www.nocca.com and to download an application for the 2023-24 school year.
NOCCA is an agency of the state of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, Governor
Contact
Special Education Department
(985) 310 - 2100