Exceptional Student Education
ATTN: Parents of students with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) in Exceptional Student Education
Please complete this Florida Department of Education ESE Survey!
Pamela Lanier - Director, ESE (863-471-5583)
Jackie Shotts - Secretary, Director of ESE (863-471-5583)
Amy Alansky Cruz - Secretary (Medicaid Billing, Records) (863-471-5584)
Chris Benschoter - Secretary, Program Staffing Specialist (863-471-5585)
Program Staffing Specialists
Notice of Procedural Safeguards for Parents of Students with Disabilities
These pamphlets help parents of children in Florida's school districts understand the rights that go along with programs for students with disabilities. They summarize federal and state laws on how your rights must be protected relating to notice, consent, independent educational evaluation, records, hearings, and appeals. These procedural safeguards apply for children with disabilities.
All copies of Procedural Safeguards are in Adobe Acrobat format. This document is formatted to be printed on front and back if your printer can be configured to print on both sides.
Notice of Procedural Safeguards for Parents of Students who are Gifted
This pamphlet help parents of children in Florida’s school districts understand the rights that go along with programs for students in the Gifted Education program. It summarizes federal and state laws on how your rights must be protected relating to notice, consent, independent educational evaluation, records, hearings, and appeals. These procedural safeguards apply for children in Gifted Education.
McKay Scholarship Information
Florida's school choice programs allow parents to choose the best educational setting—public or private—for their child. The McKay Scholarship Program for Students with Disabilities provided over 30,000 Florida students with special needs the opportunity to attend a participating private school during the 2014-15 school year. The McKay Scholarship Program also offers parents public school choice. A parent of an eligible special needs student may choose to transfer the student to another public school.
- To transfer to another Public School please fill out the following Highlands County Form: Click Here
- More information about the McKay Scholarship can be found at Your Florida Department of Education website: Click Here
- McKay Scholarship for Students with Disabilities Program Pamphlet
Additional Resources