Gwinnett Special Education Information from Gwinnett Daily Post

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8/11/2007 12:01:00 AM 

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Students with disabilities enrollment

The following numbers show the number of students with disabilities enrolled in the school system as of Aug. 5:

Deaf and blind 1

Speech/language impairment 4,182

Psychoeducational program 19

Autism 1,053

Traumatic brain injury 38

Significant development delay 1,000

Mild intellectual disability 660

Moderate intellectual disability 344

Severe intellectual disability 87

Profound intellectual disability 76

Emotional/behavioral disability 1,751

Specific learning disability 5,058

Orthopedic impairment 104

Deaf 131

Other health impairment 3,145

Visual impairment 62

Total program enrollment 17,711

Projected district enrollment

(all students) 159,258

School system looking to improve special-education services

By Darenberg

Staff Writer

LAWRENCEVILLE - Gwinnett County Public Schools is working to improve special-education services for children as young as 3, school officials this week told the Gwinnett County Board of Education.

The state requires public education be available to 3- to 22-year-olds with disabilities, and the Georgia Department of Education has asked schools to have disabled children enrolled on their third birthday, Associate Superintendent Loe said.

District officials found out in May the state will rate them on how well they have been able to place students in special-education programs on their third birthday, Loe said. The standard will be retroactive, and schools will be evaluated on how well that have done that since 2005.

GCPS has not been able to enroll every child with a disability by his or her third birthday, nor have the majority of districts in the state. Loe said the initiative is a challenge, but agencies such as Babies Can't Wait can help the district work toward this goal, Loe said. The state agency works with infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities.

Before children are enrolled in special education, officials work to determine the students struggles are not caused by an environmental factor such as ethnicity or socioeconomic status, said White, executive director of special education and psychological services.

About 12 percent of students in the district have disabilities, and 17,711 currently have an individualized education plan. Although the district has facilities for special-needs students, most of those children with disabilities attend traditional schools.

Parents of students with disabilities this year will be allowed to use tax dollars to help pay for the tuition at a private schools.

White told the board members she did not know how many parents in Gwinnett County have applied for the vouchers but she expects to know after school begins.

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