Special Education Services
- Welcome and Contact
- Service and Support
- Parent/ Guardian Resources
- Private School Referrals
- Child Find
- 504 Information
Welcome and Contact
Welcome
The Solana Beach School District is committed to the identification and service of students with special needs, within the least restrictive environment and with access to the general education curriculum. Services and placements are based on each student's Individualized Educational Program (IEP).
For answers to specific questions related to special education programs, families are encouraged to contact their school principal or the Special Education Services Department at (858) 794-7124.
What is Special Education?
Special education encompasses a set of services, provided at no cost to the parent/ guardian, designed to meet the unique needs of each student.
Special education is provided through a collaborative effort and students receive services both within the general education environment and in separate settings.
Solana Beach Equity Statement
Solana Beach School District is committed to providing equitable opportunities through inclusive learning environments where each person is valued, connected, and treated with dignity and respect in order to achieve their greatest potential.
NORTH COASTAL CONSORTIUM FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION
Solana Beach School District is part of the North Coastal Consortium for Special Education (NCCSE). NCCSE is a Special Education Local Planning Area (SELPA) that is composed of 14 school districts in North County.
Learn more about NCCSE (External Website)
- NCCSE SELPA Local Plan Section A and B: Governance and Administration(PDF, 23 MB)
- NCCSE SELPA Annual Services Plan(PDF, 20 MB)
- NCCSE SELPA Annual Budget Plan(PDF, 20 MB)
- AB 1466 - Restraint and Seclusion Data per California Department of Education(External Website)
CAPTAIN
North Coastal Consortium for Special Education SELPA is proud to partner with the California Autism Professional Training and Information Network (CAPTAIN) by promoting the use of evidence-based practices for students with Autism and other developmental disabilities.
CAPTAIN is part of the California Department of Education Statewide System of Support in collaboration with Marin County SELPA.
Learn more about CAPTAIN https://www.captain.ca.gov/
Department Contacts
Cheri Bené
Director Special Education Services
Phone: (858) 794-7124
Fax: (858) 794-7120
Mary Vaccarino
Administrative Assistant
- Special Education Transportation
- Records Requests
- SEIS Support
Phone: (858) 794-7124
Fax: (858) 794-7120
Robyn Hubbard
Program Specialist/ School Psychologist
- Skyline Elementary School
- Solana Highlands Elementary School
- Solana Santa Fe Elementary School
- Preschool (speech only)
- Nonpublic school and other alternative placements
Jennifer Burger
Program Specialist
- Carmel Creek Elementary School
- Solana Pacific Elementary School
- Solana Ranch Elementary School
- Solana Vista Elementary School
- Preschool
- Private Schools
Denise Reck
Behavior Specialist (BCBA)
- District wide support
Rose Corzine
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
- District wide support
Service and Support
Solana Beach School District offers a continuum of special education services from preschool through sixth grade, who have been identified through the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process as eligible for special education.
Our district promotes inclusion and works to support students at their home school site and in their general education classrooms to the maximum extent possible.
Related Services are provided to students by appropriately qualified specialists/ service providers as specified by their IEP, beginning at preschool through sixth grade. A service provider may work with a student individually, in groups, and/ or through consultation. The service provider is an IEP team member who supports the student's goal areas specific to their area of expertise. All school sites offer a full complement of related services, including speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, adaptive physical education, counseling services, behavior intervention consultation, physical therapy, deaf and hard of hearing itinerant services, itinerant vision services, and more for students identified as requiring these services through the IEP process.
All of our schools offer Specialized Academic Instruction (SAI) through Learning Resource Centers (LRCs), which are designed to support a wide range of student needs. Our LRCs are staffed with one or more Education Specialists and trained instructional assistants, who offer both push-in services (services provided in the general education setting) and pull-out services (services provided within the separate special education setting) based on each student's individual needs.
Additionally, the district offers SAI to students with more extensive support needs in specialized programs at Carmel Creek (K-3) and Solana Pacific (4-6). Staffed with an Education Specialist and trained instructional assistants, these programs offer a modified, functional, and academic-skill based curriculum delivered primarily in a special education setting, with inclusion into the general education setting to the maximum extent appropriate. These students necessitate an increased amount of individualized, or very small group supports in order to benefit from their education. The specialized supports are tailored to address the extensive support needs in the skill areas including, but not limited to, functional/ applied academics, behavior, pragmatics, health/ medical, community connections, recreation/ leisure, and social/ interpersonal; individualization is determined based on each student's needs.
Early Childhood Special Education
Preschool
Preschool specialized program classes provide structured, small group, individualized instruction with reverse mainstreaming and mainstreaming opportunities for social interaction with neurotypical developing peers. Preschool specialized academic instruction targets student needs across domains to include; pre-academics, communication development, social/emotional/behavioral functioning, gross motor and fine motor development, adaptive/daily living skills, and health/medical needs. In addition to this targeted individualized instruction for students with special needs, preschool students receive general preschool curriculum exposure/education.
Preschool inclusion model classes provide a general education preschool teacher providing instruction based on the preschool learning foundations with consultation/ collaboration from an early childhood special education teacher and other related services and supports as identified in the student's IEP.
Preschool Assessment
If you have concerns regarding your child’s development and your child is three to five years old, please get in touch with the Special Education Services Department at (858) 794-7124. If your child is five years old and attending kindergarten within the Solana Beach School District, don’t hesitate to get in touch with your child’s school for more information regarding assessment.
If your child is under the age of three, and you have concerns regarding their development, please contact HOPE Infant Family Support Program or San Diego Regional Center.
Parent/ Guardian Resources
Procedural Safeguards
- Procedural Safeguards - English(PDF, 1 MB) SELPA Supplemental - English (PDF)
- Procedural Safeguards - Spanish(PDF, 1 MB)
- Procedural Safeguards - Additional Language(External Website)
Solana Beach Parent Advisory Council (PAC)
Parents/ Guardians are a vital part of our community, and we welcome your active participation. The Special Education Services Department partners with parents/ guardians through the Solana Beach Parent Advisory Council (PAC). The PAC, established in 2023, is a dedicated group of parents/ guardians representing each of our school sites (including preschool) who share common goals: to assist and work in collaboration with the special education services department in improving the overall experiences of our students with disabilities by nurturing connections between families, developing a conduit for parent voice, and sharing available resources.
The PAC meets four times throughout the school year.
- PAC Welcome Letter - English(Google Doc)
- PAC Welcome Letter - Spanish(Google Doc)
- PAC Welcome Letter - Mandarin(Google Doc)
- PAC Information and 2025-2026 Coffee and Lunch (PDF)
- PAC Coffee Meetups 2025-2026 (PDF)
- PAC Lunch Meetups 2025-2026 (PDF)
Community Advisory Committee (CAC)
A Community Advisory Committee (CAC) is made up of parents, educators, and community members who are involved in special education. The CAC of the North Coastal Consortium for Special Education (NCCSE) provides meetings and special events throughout the year and advises the superintendents of the 14 school districts about special education services. Each meeting includes information on a special education topic, resources for families, and opportunities to meet with other parents to exchange resources, information, and ideas.
Whether you are a student who qualifies for special education services, a parent/ guardian, or family member of a student, or a district teacher oe staff person, we can help.
CAC meetings are open to the public!
Anyone with an interest in special education is encouraged to attend, especially if your child receives special education service from one of the NCCSE school districts. Visit https://www.nccse.org/about/school-districts
Learn more About the Community Advisory Committee (CAC).(External Website)
Individualized Education Program (IEP)
Each public school child who receives special education and related services must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Each IEP must be designed for one student and must be a truly individualized document. The IEP creates an opportunity for teachers, parents/ guardians, school administrators, related services personnel, and students (when appropriate) to work together to improve education results for children with disabilities.
Preparing for the IEP
-
You Just Received an Assessment Plan - What's Next?(PDF, 200 KB)
-
High Quality IEPs - Working together for student success(External Website)
-
IEP and Special Education Terms(External Website)
-
Smart Kids - Before the IEP Meeting: 6 Tips for Parents(External Website)
Additional Resources
- Guide to Special Education(External Website)
- NCCSE Workshops and Events for Families(External Website)
- View Acronyms/ Abreviations(Google Doc)
- Resolving Disagreements(External Website)
- Community Resources(External Website)
- San Diego Regional Center(External Website
- California Department of Education: Special Education(External Website)
- Exceptional Family Resource Center(External Website)
Private School Referrals
Private School Students and Special Education Services
The Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) defines the legal rights of private school students to publicly funded special education services. Specifically, IDEA states that a private institution student does nothave the same legal rights to special education services as a special education student in a public school Public school districts are given a small amount of money each year by the federal government to fund the Individualized Service Plan (ISP) for special education students who attend private school settings. Per the North Coast Consortium for Special Education (NCCSE) local plan Solana Beach School District provides the following for students enrolled in a private school located within the Solana Beach School District's boundaries: Evaluation of private school students to determine eligibility for Special Education A meeting to review the results of the evaluation and determine if the student is eligible for special education. For a student who is found eligible for Special Education and parentally placed in a for-profit private school, the District will conduct a re-evaluation in three years to determine ongoing special education eligibility. No additional support or services are available to students in a for-profit private school through the public school district. For a student who is eligible for special education and parentally placed in a non-profit private school, a Service Plan (SP) will be developed. The SP will be reviewed annually and a reassessment will occur every three years. Services that are available through a Service Plan in the NCCSE SELPA are:
-Consultation services up to four times per year by an Education Specialist and/or a Speech-Language Pathologist
-Access to NCCSE professional development opportunities
Evaluation Request Procedure:
Children with suspected disabilities may be referred for Special Education assessment even if they are not currently enrolled in a public school .Education Code 56303 states that a pupil shall be referred for special education instruction and services only after the resources of the regular education program have been considered and, where appropriate, utilized. If you and your private school have considered and implemented appropriate resources in the regular education program and you continue to have concerns that your student may have a disability, please contact our Special Education Services Department at 858-794-7124.
In order to start the assessment process you, please be prepared to be asked for basic demographic information that is typical for enrolling in any school program. Although, you may not be intending to enroll your child within the SBSD, this information is necessary to assist us with ensuring we have the necessary information to get the assessment process started.
If you have any questions about referrals, please contact the Special Education Services Department at 858-794-7124.
Child Find
Child Find
State and Federal law ensures that "...all children with disabilities have available to the a free appropriate public education (FAPE)...designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living." (Public Law (PL) 108-446, entitled The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004), Section 601(d)(1)(a).
"Special education means specifically designed instruction, at no cost to the parent, to meet the unique needs of the individuals with exceptional needs, whose educational needs cannot be met with modification of the regular instruction program, and related services, at no cost to the parent, that may be needed to assist those individuals to benefit from specially designed instruction" [20 U.S.C. Sec. 1401(29);34 C.F.R.Sec. 300.38; California Education Code Article 2, Section 56031].
If you have an SBSD resident child, or know of an SBSD resident child, who you believe may require special education services, you are invited to contact the Special Education Services Department at (858) 794-7124.
504 Information
504 Accommodation Plan
AN OVERVIEW OF THE 504 PLAN
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 ("Section 504") is Congress’ directive to schools receiving any federal funding to eliminate discrimination based on disability from all aspects of school operation. It states, “No otherwise qualified individual with a disability…, shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance….” Because the Solana Beach School District is a recipient of federal funding, it is required to provide eligible disabled students with equal access (both physical and academic) to services, accommodations, programs, and activities offered by its schools.
Section 504 is a civil rights statute and not a special education statute. At each school, the responsibility for ensuring Section 504 compliance rests with the District, the school’s Section 504 Site Case Manager and the principal.
There are two main purposes to Section 504. The first purpose of Section 504 is to protect students from discrimination under federal law. Section 504 assures access to educational services and the learning process that is equal to that given to students who do not have disabilities. All students who have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, have a record of such an impairment, or are regarded as having such an impairment, are protected from discrimination under Section 504.
The second purpose of Section 504 is to provide a free appropriate public education (“FAPE”) to those students who (1) actually have a physical or mental impairment, (2) that substantially limits, (3) one or more major life activities. The provision of FAPE is accomplished through the creation and implementation of Section 504 Accommodation Plan. Only those students who satisfy all three of these criteria are eligible for, and are provided, regular or special education and related aids and accommodations under Section 504 (in the form of a Section 504 Accommodation Plan).
For information regarding a student's right to be protected from discrimination, including grievance procedures, please see District Board Policy BP 6164.6.