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Dr. Eric Medrano
Director of Special Education
(310) 695-4033

Special Education Department

The Lennox School District is committed to supporting the needs of the students and families that make up our district. Special education services are provided for eligible students within the Lennox School District in preschool through eighth grade according to the laws and regulations outlined by the state and federal government.

Identification

A student may qualify for special education services as an individual with special needs in one of thirteen areas identified by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These are:

• Autism
• Deaf
• Deaf-Blind
• Emotionally Disturbed
• Hard of Hearing
• Intellectual Disability
• Multiple Handicapped
• Orthopedically Impaired
• Other Health Impaired
• Specific Learning Disability
• Speech-Language Impaired
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Visually Impaired

Services and supports are determined for eligible students through the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process, which includes parents, teachers, administrators, and special education staff.
It is the district’s responsibility to find students who are in need of special education services. This requirement is known as Child Find. The process for finding students who may be eligible for services usually occurs through parent referral or the Student Study Team (SST) process. For children three years of age or younger, referrals may also be made by outside agencies. Given the legal requirement that a student shall be referred for special education instruction and services only after the resources of the regular education program have been considered and, where appropriate, utilized, the SST process is a critical step in determining appropriate referrals for formal assessment.

Least Restrictive Environment

Once a student has been assessed and determined to be eligible for special education services, the district has the legal obligation to provide an education for each identified student in the least restrictive environment (LRE) possible. That means all students are educated in the general education setting to the maximum extent appropriate and that the full continuum of special education services is offered to either replace or supplement what is necessary for that student to be successful.

If you have any questions or require support, please contact our special education department at

(310) 695-4033.