Special Education
The Howard County Public School System acknowledges and supports the rights of all students to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) that will enable them to develop their unique talents and abilities, thus preparing them to participate in and serve their community with dignity and pride. We offer a continuum of services and programs to meet the needs of students with disabilities.
Behavior Talks Video Series
2020 Parent Empowerment Conference
- Watch Welcome Message with enhanced transcript
- Download Conference Presentations
How to access Child Find Services
- For children ages birth to three, please complete the online referral at https://referral.mditp.org/, or send an email to earlyinterventionservices@hcpss.org.
- For children ages three to five, please email the Child Find Office at ChildFind@hcpss.org. Please put “3 to 5” in the subject box.
- For school-age children, please email the Child Find Office at ChildFind@hcpss.org. Please put “School Age” in the subject box.
Special Education Handbook
Note: This handbook is currently being updated as part of the department’s new strategic plan. We thank you for your patience as we work to revise and reformat the handbook so that the information is current and accessible.
MSDE Technical Assistance Bulletins
The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services develops and disseminates Technical Assistance Bulletins to provide guidance to local school systems. The Bulletins include a range of topics that the HCPSS Department of Special Education uses to support, refine, and monitor our system practices for students receiving special education services from Birth through age 21. Staff and parents will find information contained within these publications helpful for participating in the IEP team process.
Extended School Year (ESY)
Extended School Year (ESY) services are educational services provided for students with Individualized Education Plans (IEP) during the summer. ESY is specifically designed to enable the maintenance of skills students acquire during the regular school year and facilitate continued progress on IEPs in the coming year.
Department of Special Education Strategic Action Plan
The Department of Special Education Strategic Action Plan is a document developed by the department based on input from various stakeholder groups including teachers, administrators, parents, and related service providers.
This plan will be updated to reflect the strategic plan development process in the weeks ahead. These updates will be reflected in the first several pages of the plan. Additional updates will be made to clarify measures and baseline as needed.
- Strategic Plan 2017-2020
*Revision coming soon - April 9, 2019 Board Report
Would you like to participate in implementing the Special Education Strategic Plan?
We would like to know your preferences for volunteering your time to be involved in the implementation of the Special Education Strategic Plan.
Let us know you are interested
Stakeholder Groups
The DSE is forming multiple groups to work on various initiatives from the strategic plan. The documents below share information about the charge for each group, participants, meeting information and recommendations. The recommendations reflect stakeholder input and offer ideas for consideration. The DSE values all perspectives and embraces continuous improvement.
Special Education Citizen’s Advisory Committee (SECAC) Executive Board
- Stephanie Carr – Co-Chair
- Mai Hall – Co-Chair
- Wendy Balda – Vice Chair
- Elizabeth Stolte – Secretary
- Camille Cranson – Member at Large
- Lori Scott – Past Chair
SECAC Chair e-mail: secacchair@gmail.com
Budget Information
Information and Resources
- U.S. Department of Education – Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Resources
- Inclusive Happenings
- College and Career Readiness for Students with Disabilities
- Parent Newsletter – Stepping Stones – Spring 2015
Project SEARCH Application
- Project SEARCH Candidate Application – 2021-22
- Online Application
District Management Council (DMC)
- DMC documents posted on May 9, 2017:
- HCPSS Letter to the Community on the Special Education Report
- Acting Superintendent Martirano Request for Original Report
- HCPSS Parent Questions – DMC Responses
- Special Education Opportunities Review – Spring Highlights 2015
- Special Education Opportunities Review – Preliminary Results
- Special Education Opportunities Review – DMC Project (13.7 MB)
Additional Information
- Vision
- Program Details
- Identification, Assessment and Evaluation
- Services
- Programs
- Parent Involvement
- Staff Contacts
- Early Intervention Services for Young Children
- Spread the Word to End the Word Campaign