The Northampton School District maintains a continuum of services for eligible students with special needs. Services include modifications and accommodations provided within the general education classroom to support children with special needs in general education, specialized instruction in special education classrooms, substantially separate special education programs, and related services. Related services include speech/language, occupational, and physical therapy, psychological evaluation, assistive technology, specialized consultation, behavioral supports, and school adjustment counseling. Special education programs within the Northampton Public Schools are designed to ensure that eligible children receive a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment.

District special education programming conforms to the requirement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal education program enacted in 1975 to improve educational opportunities for children with disabilities, as well as to the requirements of the Massachusetts Special Education Regulations. Programs provide special education and related services to children who qualify as a child with a disability including:

• Autism
• Developmental Delay
• Intellectual Impairment
• Sensory Impairment
• Neurological Impairment
• Emotional Impairment
• Communication Impairment
• Physical Impairment
• Health Impairment
• Specific Learning Disability

If you have concerns regarding your child, you can contact the following individuals:

• Bridge Street/Jackson Street: School Principal or SE Coordinator, Elizabeth McCoy, emccoy@northampton-k12.us
• Ryan Road/Leeds Elementary: School Principal or SE Coordinator, Rebel McKinley, rmckinley@northampton-k12.us
• John F. Kennedy Middle School: School Principal or SE Coordinator, Sara Churchill, schurchill@northampton-k12.us
• Northampton High School: School Principal or SE Coordinator, Marianne Lockwood, mlockwood@northampton-k12.us

Additional information is available from the Massachusetts Department of Education www.doe.mass.edu, your child’s school, or the Northampton Student Services Office.