Special Education


 

The programs of the Special Education Department are broad based, located in every building and level of the Lansing School District.  The mandate for special education is birth through age 26.  We operate home-based programs for children and their families, work-based programs for adults, K-12 support, and special education classrooms for children with thirteen different disabilities.

The district employs around 180 professional and 140 non-professional special education staff.  There are over 2,200 special education students.  Programs and services are monitored for compliance with rules and regulations from Ingham ISD and Michigan Department of Education.




Three-Five Program: The Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) program is a half-day classroom model for 3-5-year-olds.  ESCE programs are in the following schools: Averill, Gier Park, Kendon, and Forest View. Lansing also offers inclusive Universal Preschool programming, with SE program support, known as ECRP. Some services can be provided through scheduled walk-in appointments. 

Elementary: Each elementary school has a resource room.  A resource room is designed for students who need support in the general education curriculum.  The district also provides a full continuum of supports based on the needs identified in the student's Individual Education Program. 

Middle Schools: The middle schools offer a combination of teaming with co teaching, resource room support, and specialized programs.  This is done to allow for the greatest number of options in programming for the diverse needs of the students. 

High Schools: Each high school operates a combination of resource rooms and specialized programs.  The focus is to help students with skill development, high school graduation, and transition to the world beyond high school. 

Adult Transition: For students who are obtaining a certificate of completion rather than a high school diploma, adult transition services are coordinated with Ingham ISD and other community agencies. 

Related Services: These include services of speech and language, school social work, occupational therapy, physical therapy, adaptive physical education, teacher consultant, and special transportation as identified in the student's Individualized Education Program. 


Once the district receives a referral for evaluation, special education  department follows the procedures identified in the Michigan Administrative Rules for Special Education. All students who are determined eligible require a reevaluation at least once every 3 years. 

Each local educational agency and public school academy in Michigan is required to publicly post the process used to determine the existence of a Specific Learning Disability (SLD). Consistent with this requirement, as well as Ingham ISD's commitment to implementation of Response to Intervention (RtI) practices, Ingham Intermediate School District will use the following procedures to determine a Specific Learning Disability.

  1. Evaluation teams will primarily use the data from a Response to Intervention (RtI) process
  2. In the event that RtI practices are not fully implemented in the area of concern or grade level, the evaluation team may use assessment results to determine whether a child exhibits an academic pattern of strengths and weaknesses in performance, achievement, or both, relative to age, state-approved grade-level standards, or intellectual development
  3. The use of a severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability may not be used solely to determine eligibility, but may be used as a portion of the data to establish a pattern of strengths and weaknesses.
  4. If a school in a district has a fully implemented response to scientific, research-based intervention process in select grades, the school must use data from that process to document interventions and student progress for the purpose of determining the existence of a SLD.  The other grades in that school, and the other schools in the district (i.e. secondary grade-level buildings) who have not fully implemented a response to scientific, research-based intervention process must use a pattern of strengths and weaknesses process until each grade is phased in to full implementation.

Special Ed apple

519 W. Kalamazoo St
Lansing, MI 48933
(517) 755-4000


Senior Director of Special Education

Tonia Brewer
Office: (517)755-4001
tonia.brewer@lansingschools.net

Director for Special Education

Cari Otis
(517)755-4011
cari.otis@lansingschools.net

Secretary to the Special Education Senior Director

Crystal Hernandez
(517)755-4004
crystal.hernandez@lansingschools.net

Secretary to the Special Education Assistant Directors

Miranda Cook
(517)755-4005
miranda.cook@lansingschools.net

SE Records Department

Jessica Mead
(517) 755-5721
jessica.mead@lansingschools.net

Special Education Project Manager

Elizabeth Darga
(517)755-1013
elizabeth.darga@lansingschools.net

Assistant Director of SE for Beekman, Lansing Learning Hub, CA K-12, Dwight Rich, Wexford & ICYC

Marcy Eisinger
(517) 755-3690
marcy.eisinger@lansingschools.net 

Assistant Director of SE for Kendon, Gier Park, North & Post Oak

Karen Houston
(517) 755-5709
karen.houston@lansingschools.net  

Assistant Director of SE for Early Childhood, Averill, Forest View, Pattengill, Cumberland & Willow 

Jennifer Lycos
(517)755-3177
lycosj0121@lansingschools.net

Assistant Director of SE for Compliance, Sexton, Attwood, Mt. Hope & Lansing Tech

Erin Garver
(517) 755-4022
erin.garver@lansingschools.net

Assistant Director of SE for Eastern, Everett, Cavanaugh, Lyons, Gardner, Lewton & Sheridan

Claudia Rodgers
(517) 755-5590
claudia.rodgers@lansingschools.net 

ECSE Assessment Center Secretary

Linda Bullen 
(517) 755-2390
linda.bullen@lansingschools.net



11,500 Enrollment by 2025
85% Graduation Rate by 2025
90% Attendance by 2025