Bridgman Public Schools–Special Education

Welcome to the Bridgman Special Education Website.

It is my intention to provide you with additional information that you might find helpful. Your feedback is greatly appreciated as this is a work in progress.

Peggy Ferguson, '08 and Jason Holok,  '07 Bridgman PAC Award Winners	Bridgman Special Education Staff members: Judd Emery, Erik Haskins, Jason Holok Melissa Payne, Dana Schaeffer, & Claudia Ortiz :)

For determining the existence of a Specific Learning Disability (SLD) in Special Education our district will use a process of analyzing a Pattern of Strengths and Weaknesses. For more detailed information on this process please consult the Berrien Regional Education Service Agency website http://www.berrienresa.org/ed-adm_resources.htm.

ARE YOU A PARENT OF A SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENT? Well then you should know about PAC (Parent Advisory Committee). PAC is a group of parents who have children in special education programs or receive services within the intermediate school district. We have 2 parents from Bridgman that represent our district at the monthly meetings which are held on the third Tuesday of each month except December, June-August, at 7 p.m. at the ISD in Berrien Springs. All parents are welcome to hear and discuss a variety of issues that are pertinent in our county in regards to special education and students unique needs. Please feel free to contact me, Che Warner, at 466-0383 for more information.

TAX TIPS:

Did you know that if you have a child with a disability that you may qualify for a tax deduction?  The following expenses may qualify for a deduction if a medical professional recommended a service or treatment for your child. The diagnosis needed to be a medical diagnosis of a neurological disorder, such as, severe learning disabilities or attention deficiet disorder.

• Tutoring
• Transportation expenses to the tutor
• Specialized materials (e.g., books, software, & instructional material)
• Diagnostic evaluations (by a private practitioner)
• Therapy
• More can be learned by contacting the IRS at 800-829-3676 and ordering Publication #502 Medical and Dental Expenses, #501 Exemptions, Standard Deduction & Filing Information, and #503 Child and Dependent Care Expenses.

FINANCIAL AID for STUDENTS with DISABILITIES

The annual guide to financial aid of grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships is available from HEATH Resource Center, 2121 K St., NW Suite 220 Washington, DC 20037  1-800-544-3284 or email:askheath@gwu.edu   This guide will discuss how to go about finding available funding for postsecondary education and defines the technical words/phrases used to describe various funding disburement terms.

Click here to see the Special Education End-of-Year Report for 2006-07

Recommended Website Links:

American Speech-Language-Hearing Assocation

Autism Society of Michigan

Berrien Regional Education Service Agency

Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Council for Exceptional Children

LD Resources

Michigan Dept. of Education

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

Special Education Resources on the Internet