Special Education

SpEd Staff

Copperas Cove ISD provides a continuum of specially-designed instructional services for all eligible students with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21.

For students who are visually and/or hearing impaired, CCISD collaborates with Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) to provide vision and hearing service to all eligible children beginning at birth.

Students are eligible to meet the need for special education services after an educational disability has been determined through the process of referral and evaluation. A continuum of service options are available, with services determined by a multidisciplinary team familiar with the student’s needs.

CCISD's Special Education Department also addresses communication skills, vision services, hearing impaired services, functional life skills, vocational skills, behavioral interventions and autism support services for qualified students. Related Services can be provided anywhere along the special education continuum of instructional services. These services may include occupational therapy, physical therapy, counseling services, and/or adapted physical education for students meeting eligibility criteria for these specific interventions.

Cynthia Lavallee

Director of Special Education

CCISD Service and Training Center
408 South Main Street
Copperas Cove, TX 76522

254-547-1227

Email Cynthia Lavallee

Angela Sharp

Assistant Director of Special Education

CCISD Service and Training Center
408 South Main Street
Copperas Cove, TX 76522

254-547-1227

Email Angela Sharp

Denisa Temples

Special Education Coordinator

Email Denisa Temples

Jennifer Stevenson

Special Education Coordinator

Email Jennifer Stevenson

Lia Diamond

Special Education Coordinator

Email Lisa Diamond

Dr. Stephanie Jackson

Dr. Michele Cox

Lead - Diagnostician

Email Michele Cox

Megan Widder

Tammy Roen

Lead Related Services - COTA

Email Tammy Roen

Rachel Jost

Special Education Coordinator

Email Rachel Jost

Tammy Carswell

Secretary to Director of SpEd

Email Tammy Carswell

Child Find Notice

All children with disabilities residing in the State, regardless of the severity of their disabilities, and who are in need of special education and related services, must be identified, located, and evaluated.

Copperas Cove ISD is committed to providing quality special education services to every child with a disability who resides in our district or who attends a private or home school in our district. If you have a child age 3 through 21 and suspect your child has a disability, or, if you have a child age birth through 21 and suspect your child has a hearing impairment, please contact the Copperas Cove ISD Department of Special Education. We will work with you in determining if your child meets federal and state guidelines as a child with a disability. If your child is determined to be a child with a disability, we will work with you in developing appropriate special education services designed to meet your child’s educational needs. All our services are available free of charge.

At any time, a parent is entitled to request an evaluation for special education services. Within a reasonable amount of time, the district must decide if the evaluation is needed. If evaluation is needed, the parent will be notified and asked to provide informed written consent for the evaluation.  If the district or charter school decides to evaluate the student, it must complete the student’s initial evaluation and evaluation report no later than 45 school days from the day it receives a parent’s written consent to evaluate the student.  However, if the student is absent from school during the evaluation period for three or more school days, the evaluation period will be extended by the number of school days equal to the number of school days that the student is absent.

If the district determines that the evaluation is not needed, the district will provide the parent with a written notice that explains why the child will not be evaluated. This written notice will include a statement that informs the parent of their rights if they disagree with the district. Additionally, the notice must inform the parent how to obtain a copy of the Notice of Procedural Safeguards - Rights of Parents of Students with Disabilities.

The designated person to contact regarding options for a child experiencing learning difficulties or a referral for evaluation for special education is:

Cindy Lavallee
Director of Special Education 
Copperas Cove ISD 
254-547-1227 

Aviso de hallazgo de niños

Todos los niños con discapacidades que residen en el Estado, independientemente de la gravedad de sus discapacidades, y que necesitan educación especial y servicios relacionados, deben ser identificados, ubicados y evaluados.

El Distrito Escolar Independiente de Copperas Cove se compromete a brindar servicios de educación especial de calidad a todos los niños con discapacidades que residan en nuestro distrito o asistan a una escuela privada o en el hogar en nuestro distrito. Si tiene un hijo de entre 3 y 21 años y sospecha que tiene una discapacidad, o si tiene un hijo desde su nacimiento hasta los 21 años y sospecha que tiene una discapacidad auditiva, comuníquese con el Departamento de Educación Especial del Distrito Escolar Independiente de Copperas Cove. Trabajaremos con usted para determinar si su hijo cumple con las pautas federales y estatales como niño con una discapacidad. Si se determina que su hijo es un niño con una discapacidad, trabajaremos con usted para desarrollar servicios de educación especial adecuados diseñados para satisfacer las necesidades educativas de su hijo. Todos nuestros servicios están disponibles de forma gratuita.

En cualquier momento, los padres tienen derecho a solicitar una evaluación para servicios de educación especial. Dentro de un período de tiempo razonable, el distrito debe decidir si la evaluación es necesaria. Si es necesaria, se notificará a los padres y se les solicitará que brinden su consentimiento informado por escrito para la evaluación. Si el distrito o la escuela autónoma decide evaluar al estudiante, debe completar la evaluación inicial y el informe de evaluación del estudiante a más tardar 45 días escolares a partir del día en que recibe el consentimiento por escrito de los padres para evaluar al estudiante. Sin embargo, si el estudiante está ausente de la escuela durante el período de evaluación por tres o más días escolares, el período de evaluación se extenderá por la cantidad de días escolares equivalente a la cantidad de días escolares que el estudiante esté ausente.

Si el distrito determina que la evaluación no es necesaria, le proporcionará a los padres una notificación por escrito que explica por qué no se evaluará al niño. Esta notificación por escrito incluirá una declaración que informe a los padres sobre sus derechos si no están de acuerdo con el distrito. Además, la notificación debe informar a los padres cómo obtener una copia de la Notificación de garantías procesales: derechos de los padres de estudiantes con discapacidades.

La persona designada para comunicarse con respecto a las opciones para un niño que experimenta dificultades de aprendizaje o una derivación para evaluación para educación especial es:

Cindy Lavallee
Director de Educación Especial
Distrito Escolar Independiente de Copperas Cove
254-547-1227

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