Exceptional Student Education
Jennifer Barrow
ESE Director
Phone: (863) 679-6560
Email: Jennifer.Barrow@lwcharterschools.com
Felicia Camilo
School Psychologist
Phone: (863) 679-6560
Email: Felicia.Camilo@lwcharterschools.com
Caroline Acevedo
Gifted & Talented Coordinator
Phone: (863) 679-6560
Email: Caroline.Acevedo@lwcharterschools.com
Michele Black
Referral Coordinator - Babson Park
Michelle.Black@lwcharterschools.com
Michaela Cook
Referral Coordinator - Bok North
Michaela.Cook@lwcharterschools.com
Dezonia Williams
Referral Coordinator - Bok South
Dezonia.Williams@lwcharterschools.com
Tina Stegman
Referral Coordinator - Hillcrest
Tina.Stegman@lwcharterschools.com
Elizabeth Borders
Referral Coordinator - Janie Howard Wilson
Elizabeth.Borders@lwcharterschools.com
Beverly Riley
Referral Coordinator - LW High
Beverly.Riley@lwcharterschools.com
Laporsha Oguntola
Referral Coordinator - Polk Avenue
laporsha.oguntola@lwcharterschools.com
Documents
- Getting Ready for Educational Opportunities after High School
- Annual Performance Reports 22-23.pdf
- What Is Exceptional Student Education for Children with Disabilities.pdf
- Bureau of Exceptional Student Education
- FL DOE School Choice
- FL DOE Gifted Education
- CARD
- FDLRS Direct Link
- FDLRS FIN
- ESE Resource Room Flier.pdf
- ESE Parent Resource List.pdf
- Procedural Safequards English May 14.pdf
- Procedural Safeguards Spanish May 14.pdf
- Procedural Safeguards - Haitian Creole.pdf
- Procedural Safeguards Gifted Sept 18.pdf
- Procedural Safeguards Gifted Sept 18 SPANISH.pdf
- Inclusive Florida Colleges for Students with Disabilities
- Family Empowerment Scholarship
- Boystown Press
- Association for training on trauma and attachment in children
- Attachment and Trauma Network
- Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- State of Florida IDEA 2020-2025 State Performance Proposed Target
Documents
- Project 10 Padlet: Transition Resources for Families
- June_2022_Topical_Brief_Self-Determination.pdf
- Project 10 Topical Brief Website Page
- Family Guide for Transition Planning
- Project 10 Website Handout_Transitioning Students
- Secondary Transitioning Roadmap for Families
- Benchmarks for Middle School Transition Planning
- Middle School Trail Map for Families
- Middle School Transition Trail Map for Families_Haitian Creole
- Secondary Transition Roadmap for Families_Spanish
- Secondary Transition Roadmap for Families_Haitian Creole
- Career & Technical Education: Enhancing Experiences in Middle School, High School & Postsecondary Education
Lake Wales Charter Schools’ Exceptional Student Education Department serves more than 800 students from ages 5 through 22. They include students with various disabilities as well as gifted learners.
An exceptional student is one who has special learning or behavioral needs. Special assistance received in school is called Exceptional Student Education Services, ESE, or Specially Designed Instruction. Our goal is to provide every exceptional student with a free appropriate public education (FAPE), help them progress in school, and prepare for life after school. Some examples of support services include occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, mental health counseling, and Applied Behavior Analysis.
ESE (Parent Involvement Council) PIC:
Lake Wales Charter Schools is excited about the growth and participation of our ESE PIC Council. We are a group of ESE parents, educators and community members who want to educate ourselves and others on how to support our students with disabilities and how to access the many available resources. We also join forces with various state and local agencies, as well as state discretionary projects who support students with disabilities and help educate us and our parents/guardians on the many resources available to students with disabilities. Our meetings are held virtually. In the future we hope to have the meetings in person, which will allow us to participate in some hands-on activities. Please call the charter office at (863) 679-6560 or email at Jennifer.Barrow@lwcharterschools.com and we will be happy to add you to our email list for notification of all upcoming meetings and activities. Our goal is to continue to grow, nurture and empower our ESE PIC Council to provide support to all children with disabilities.
24th Annual Family Cafe
The Annual Family Cafe' brings together thousands of people with disabilities and their family members for three days of education, training, and networking. With a great range of individual breakout sessions, a packed exhibit hall with dozens of vendors, and a series of special events, including Keynote speakers and The Governors’ Summit on Disabilities. The Annual Family Café offers families exposure to a range of public and private resources on a grand scale opportunities to find support by networking with other families and unprecedented access to policy-making officials. The Annual Family Café maintains the tradition of no-cost registration for people with disabilities and their families. For more information on this event, including registration, please go to this link.
Parent Council Involvement Meeting Dates
September 15, 2023 - 5:30 PM
November 30, 2023 - 5:30 PM
February 15, 2024 - 5:30 PM
May 16, 2024 - 5:30 PM
ESE Newsletter & ESE Student Progress Reports to be sent home:
October 24, 2023
January 11, 2024
March 26, 2024
May 30, 2024
Victory Ridge & Lake Wales Charter Schools ESE Agency Night:
TBA
ESE New Student Enrollment:
All Lake Wales Charter Schools follow our system enrollment policy. Once your child is officially accepted at one of our schools, please provide them with a copy of your child's current IEP (Individual Education Plan), Section 504 Plan, or Gifted Plan. This will allow the school to effectively deliver and ensure the fidelity and continuation of services at the highest level per the student's individual plan.
Family Empowerment Scholarship
For more information click here
What is the ESE eligibility process?
Lake Wales Charter Schools works closely with each school's administration, Referral Coordinators and classroom teachers to monitor all student's progress. The school gathers data on all students and when concerns are indicated the MTSS process is initiated to review and determine the next steps needed to support the student. If you have a concern please reach out to the school administrator, the referral coordinator or your child's teacher and they will coordinate if needed with the ESE Director and School Psychologist. There is eligibility criteria for every exceptionality including gifted, please refer to the DOE link below for the specific exceptionalities and the specific criteria.
https://www.fldoe.org/academics/exceptional-student-edu/ese-eligibility/
To learn more about Exceptional Student Education please refer to the link below:
What is Exceptional Student Education for Children with Disabilities?
If you have concerns about your child's classroom, placement, or Individualized Education Plan (IEP), the first person you should talk to is your child's teacher. Problems are more easily resolved by the person who spends the most time with your child. If you are unable to resolve the issue with the teacher, you should next contact the Referral Coordinator or Assistant Principal. These two professionals may call upon the Principal for assistance. It is very important that you talk to the Principal before calling the District Office. The Principal has the responsibility for the outcome of your child's education at that school and they need to know about issues or concerns. In most situations, the Principal has the authority, capability, and responsibility for resolving concerns.
For your quick reference, each school's Referral Coordinator is listed on this page under Staff Section.