Pascack Valley Regional High School District

Services

Pascack Valley Regional High School District
Department of Special Services

Eva Merk, Director of Special Services
Pascack Hills High School: 201.358.7020, ext. 22016
Pascack Valley High School: 201.358.7060, ext. 24018

[email protected]

OUR MISSION

The Special Services Department of Pascack Valley Regional High School District (PVRHSD) is committed to ensuring that each student with a disability receives a free and appropriate public education consisting of placement and services based on the student's unique needs. Our students are afforded full educational opportunities, and to the maximum extent possible, are placed in the least restrictive environment.

We believe that all students can learn. We are committed to providing services to students that will ensure personal and academic success and college and/or career readiness.

This is accomplished through a comprehensive continuum of in-district placement options. Classified students can be mainstreamed with supplementary aids and services in general education classes. Also, inclusive education is provided through in-class support from a Special Education Teacher in collaboratively taught classes with approximately 85 such classes offered District wide.

Students also benefit from Secondary Special classes, (taught by General Education Content Specialists with no more than 16 classified students per class), Resource Replacement classes, (taught by Highly Qualified Special Education Teachers with no more than 12 students per class), and Resource Pull-out Support (Study Skills) classes. The District offers nearly 170 collaborative and special education classes.

IIn addition to the aforementioned class offerings, PVRHSD has five Special Programs to meet the multiple needs of students with a range of disabilities. There are two programs for behavioral disabilities, which provide therapeutic and behavioral services as well as adapted curricula. Also, the District offers a program to students with mild to moderate intellectual or learning and language disabilities that offers modified curricula, functional life skills development through a Life Skills course and community based learning opportunities, and vocational skill development through a Transition Education course and the District's Internship Program. This year, the District opened a Life Skills program for adult students with disabilities ages 18-21. In addition, an Extended School Year program is provided in July, in accordance with a student's IEP, when an interruption in educational programming would cause the student's performance to revert to a lower level of functioning and recoupment would not be expected in a reasonable length of time. 

The Special Services Department is comprised of two Child Study Teams (four Psychologists, two Social Workers, and four Learning Consultants along with 22 Special Education Teachers, 17 one-to-one and Instructional Assistants, a Speech and Language Therapist, Coordinator of Special Programs, School Psychologist for Special Programs and a full-time Behavioral Consultant.

As part of school wide Positive Behavior Supports, Special Services, Guidance and Administration (SGA) meet monthly to plan and provide assistance to any student encountering significant difficulties and who may be at-risk. Special Services is also represented on the District's Intervention and Referral Service Committee (I & R/S). This committee assists non-classified students by identifying and collecting information on learning, behavior and health difficulties and develops and implements action plans, and works with teachers to assist in achieving desired outcomes.

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