Special Education


Eatonville School District Special Education Department

The Eatonville School District provides a free appropriate public education for eligible special education students as provided for in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Service Areas

Students may receive special education services if they meet one or more of the eligibility criteria for students with disabilities as defined by Chapter 391-172A of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC), demonstrate that the disability adversely impacts their educational performance in the general education program, and require specially designed instruction. The eligibility categories include: developmentally delayed, emotionally/behaviorally disabled, health impaired, specific learning disability, orthopedically impaired, speech or language impaired, autism, traumatic brain injury, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, deafness, hearing impaired, visually impaired/blindness.

Least Restrictive Environment

Eatonville School District serves students with disabilities, age 3 to 22, and may receive special education and related services in each elementary school, middle school and high school, and through home/hospital instruction. In addition, services for some students may be contracted for and provided by other school districts or approved outside agencies through inter-local service agreements. Parents, students, and staff should work through their Individualized Education Program Team to determine the appropriate educational program, Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), for their child.  Each student has access to an appropriate learning environment and an opportunity for education with non-disabled students to the maximum extent appropriate within his or her neighborhood school or as close as possible to his or her neighborhood school. When programming decisions are addressed by the IEP team, proper consideration must be given to the least restrictive environment.

Specially Designed Instruction

Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) is organized and planned instruction, which adapts to the needs of eligible students. The content and methodology or delivery of instruction address the student's unique needs. SDI is provided by either qualified special education staff or designed and supervised by special education staff and carried out by general education staff, as determined by the student's IEP. Special education staff monitors and evaluates student progress.

Related Services

For students of all ages, Occupational Therapy (OT), Physical Therapy (PT), Speech and Language Pathologist services, and other related services are available as determined through the IEP process. 

Transition Services

Transition services, including goals and objectives, based on a functional vocational evaluation and anticipated post-school outcomes are part of the IEP beginning no later than age sixteen, and annually thereafter. 

Transfer of Educational Rights at Age 18

Beginning no later than the IEP meeting during which a student turns 17, the student must be informed that all educational rights will transfer to them upon reaching age 18, unless a legal guardianship or another determination has been made indicating they are unable to make educational decisions.

When the student turns 18 (the age of majority), the school district must notify both the student and their parents that these rights have officially been transferred. This notification is documented in the IEP and discussed during the IEP meeting. After this point, the district will provide all required notices to both the student and the parents.

Graduation Options for Students Receiving Special Education Services

In Washington State, all students—including those receiving special education services—have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma. Students must meet state and district graduation requirements, which are aligned with their High School and Beyond Plan and Individualized Education Program (IEP).

Graduation options include:

Certificate of Academic Achievement (CAA)

  • The student graduates with a standard high school diploma after earning the required credits and meeting state assessment requirements.
  • This includes demonstrating proficiency in English Language Arts and math through the state assessment (typically in 10th grade), with or without accommodations.
  • All other district requirements must also be completed.

Certificate of Individual Achievement (CIA) (Phased Out)

  • Note: The CIA option has been phased out as of the Class of 2021, per OSPI guidance.
  • Students now work toward a diploma using one or more of the state-approved Graduation Pathways that best align with their strengths and post-secondary goals, as determined by the IEP team.

Graduation Pathways

Students receiving special education services can meet graduation requirements through multiple flexible pathways, which may include:

  • State assessments
  • Alternative assessment options
  • Dual credit courses
  • Career and Technical Education (CTE) sequences
  • ASVAB (military readiness test)
  • Portfolio or course-based assessments (with IEP team approval)
     

Note: The type of pathway a student uses is not printed on the diploma. While transcripts may note specific designations, all students receive the same Washington State high school diploma once they meet requirements.

IEP and Graduation Requirements

  • The IEP team may determine appropriate accommodations, modifications, or course substitutions that align with the student's post-secondary goals.
  • Required courses may be waived only through an IEP team decision, and this must be clearly documented in the student's Transition Plan under the "Course of Study" section.
  • A student cannot be denied a diploma because of their disability.
     

Graduation Date and Continued Services

  • By the time a student turns 16, an anticipated graduation date must be entered into the IEP. This date is typically based on a four-year cohort and remains the same throughout the student’s school career.
     
  • Special education services continue until:
     
    • Graduation requirements are met, or
    • The student turns 22 (services may continue through the end of the school year if the student turns 22 after the start of that year),
    • And the student continues to demonstrate need based on current evaluations.

Requesting Student Records

To request records, please contact Tonya Roebuck at (360)641-1807 or at t.roebuck@eatonville.wednet.edu 

 

Extended School Year Services

Under Washington State law (WAC 392-172A-03090), every student who receives special education services must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The IEP is a written plan developed by a team that includes parents and school staff. One part of the IEP process is deciding whether a student needs Extended School Year (ESY) services to continue making progress.

What are ESY Services?

Extended School Year services are special education and/or related services provided outside of the regular school year. These services help students maintain the progress they’ve made during the school year and support continued growth in important skills. ESY is not limited to students with a certain type of disability or a specific amount of service—it depends entirely on each student’s individual needs.

How is ESY Determined?

The IEP team—which includes you as the parent—will review your child’s evaluation data and progress in school to decide if ESY is necessary. This decision is based on your child’s unique needs and can include:

  • Evidence that your child might lose important skills over breaks and take a long time to regain them (called regression and recoupment), or
  • The IEP team’s professional judgment, considering things like your child’s rate of learning, emerging skills, and the nature or severity of their disability.

If your child’s IEP does not already include ESY services and the team believes they may be appropriate, the IEP team will meet by the end of April to review and make a decision.

Tracking and Reporting Progress on IEP Goals

Both state and federal laws require schools to regularly track and report how students are progressing toward their IEP (Individualized Education Program) goals and objectives. This progress must be shared with parents as often as report cards are issued.

For students in Early Childhood Education (ECE) through second grade—and for those who participate in the Washington Alternative Assessment System (WA-AIM) portfolio—IEP objectives must also be included in progress monitoring.

Why Progress Monitoring Matters

Tracking and evaluating a student’s progress serves three important purposes:

  1. To measure how well the student is meeting their IEP goals and objectives.
     
  2. To help identify reasons why a student might not be meeting expected progress.
     
  3. To provide information that helps the IEP team make changes if it looks like the student won't reach their goals.
     

How Progress Is Collected

Each service provider (such as a teacher, therapist, or specialist) is responsible for collecting clear, consistent data on a student’s progress. This means they need to use a specific system to monitor and record how the student is doing on their IEP goals—just keeping a grade book is not enough.

The IEP goals and objectives should be written in a way that supports this data collection. How often data is recorded will depend on what the goal is. For some students, daily tracking is needed, while others may only need weekly or monthly data.

Progress data—such as datasheets or logs—must be kept in the teacher’s or provider’s files for at least seven years, and these records help support what is written in the formal progress reports shared with parents.

Discrimination

Public schools are prohibited from discriminating against individuals based on disability (RCW 28A.642.010). School districts are legally required to follow the rules, regulations, and guidance established by the U.S. Department of Education under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Section 504 mandates that districts provide a "free appropriate public education" (FAPE) to every eligible student with a disability, regardless of the disability’s type or severity.

Revocation of Consent for Special Education Services

If a parent, guardian, or adult student submits a written request to revoke consent for the continued provision of special education and related services, the school district must honor the request. The district will issue prior written notice, identifying the date services will end. After that date, the district is no longer permitted to provide special education or related services to the student.

The district cannot initiate due process or mediation to challenge the decision. Once the revocation takes effect, the student is no longer entitled to special education services, and the district is not considered in violation of its obligation to provide a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). The district is also not required to amend the student's educational records to remove documentation of prior special education services.

By providing written revocation of consent, the parent/guardian acknowledges the following:

  • Special education and related services will end on the date listed in the district’s prior written notice.
  • The district cannot dispute or overturn the revocation through due process or mediation.
     
  • The district is no longer required to conduct reevaluations, hold IEP meetings, or develop an IEP for the student.
  • The district will not be held responsible for failing to provide FAPE after services end.
  • Educational records will still reflect that the student previously received special education and related services.
  • The student will now be treated as a general education student and must meet all related requirements, including academic standards, testing, extracurricular eligibility, graduation criteria, disciplinary procedures, and other general education policies.

Steps to Follow When You Have a Question or Concern

Parents who have questions or concerns about their student(s) should first contact the special education teacher/case manager, general education teacher, and/or school counselor who works with their student. If the questions or concerns are not answered at that level, the following list shows who to contact, and in which order:

  1. Start with the special education teacher/case manager, general education teacher, and/or school counselor
  2. If you feel concerns are not met, contact your school principal.
  3. If you feel your concerns are not met, contact the Executive Director of Student Services at (360)641-1809.
  4. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) also has resources and venues to assist parents with questions and concerns. They can be found on their website: https://ospi.k12.wa.us/student-success/special-education. 

Special Education Contact Information

Eatonville School District
200 Lynch St. W,
Eatonville, WA 98328

Dracy McCoy

Executive Director of Student Services

(360)641-1809

d.mccoy@eatonville.wednet.edu 

Tonya Roebuck

Student Services Executive Assistant

(360)641-1807

t.roebuck@eatonville.wednet.edu 

Parental Safeguards

IDEA Website