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Special Education

The Owen J Roberts School District is proud to offer a comprehensive continuum of special education supports and services.  In keeping true to our mission statement of inspiring each student for success today and greatness tomorrow, we take great care to ensure quality supports and services are available in all seven of our school buildings.  Each building is staffed with highly qualified, certificated special education staff, who deliver learning, emotional, autistic, and life skills support services with care, compassion, and fidelity.  

The special education management team has extended this continuum with the creation of specialized center-based programs within our District.  These programs boast increased and specialized services that are specifically designed to meet the unique needs of those students who are unable to maximize their potential in their home buildings.  These programs help insure that every student in the District has multiple opportunities for social, emotional, and academic success in their home District. 

French Creek Elementary School offers both Life Skills Support and Autistic Support programs, while West Vincent Elementary also offers Autistic Support programming.  These programs are supported through valuable partnerships with the Chester County Intermediate Unit and the PA Department of Education Autism Initiative. Such partnerships provide ongoing training and support for the teachers and paraprofessionals within these programs to maximize the potential for success.  East Coventry El Sch School offers a specialized Emotional Support program.  This program capitalizes on partnerships with the Chester County Intermediate Unit, as well as, Creative Health Services to help meet the unique needs of students requiring this level of intervention.

As students transition to the secondary program in grades 7-12+, the District maintains these specialized supports.  The District continues to maximize partnerships with state and local agencies, as well as, deliver meaningful professional development opportunities for all staff.  These partnerships and professional development opportunities support the District in developing, implementing and maintaining high quality programs that serve to meet the needs of students.  At the high school, specifically we have developed an adult support program that allows us to meet the functional and transition needs of students through the year of their twenty-first birthday. 

Developing, implementing, and maintaining a high quality continuum of special education services is a tremendously delicate process.  There needs to be careful budget planning, focused recruitment efforts, collaborative professional development and training, and most importantly the flexibility to make adjustments to meet the ever-changing needs of students in our charge. 

Information

OJRSD Parent IEP Resource

Special Education Quick Facts

Special Education Related Acronym List

Notice of Special Education Services

My Child May Need Special Education Services

Evaluation and IEP Process

Individualized Education Program Timelines

Re-Evaluation and IEP Process

2024-2027 Special Education State Plan: This is the most up-to-date version of the Special Education State Plan as required by PDE. 

November 2025 Preschool Special Education Parent Information: This presentation was provided at the Preschool to School-Age Transition Night for current CCIU preschool parents. 

2025-26 Transition to School-Age Services: This 1-page handout describes the process for transitioning your child from CCIU preschool special education support to school-age support for kindergarten in the 25-26 school year. 

Kindergarten Registration 2026-2027

Transition Process from Early Intervention to School-Age Programs

Parent's Rights & the Procedural Safeguards Notice

Derechos de los Padres

Special Education Records Destruction

Resources

Chester County Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities 

Chester County Special Olympics

The Arc of Chester County

Local Chapter of the Pennsylvania ARC:  ARC of Chester County

900 Lawrence Drive                           

West Chester, PA  19380  610-696-8090

Chester County Intermediate Unit - Pre-school Special Education Services

Contacts:

     

Name

Title

Email

Phone

Grades K-4

Dr. Cristin Burke

 

Mrs. Shannon Mooney

 

Supervisor of Special Education 

IEP Facilitator

 

cburke@ojrsd.net  

 

smooney@ojrsd.net

 

610-469-5620

 

610-469-5226

Grades 5-8

Dr. Geoffrey Ball

 

Mrs. Erica Wood

 

Supervisor of Special Education 

IEP Facilitator

 

 

gball@ojrsd.net

 

ewood@ojrsd.net

 

610-469-5391

 

610-469-5678

Grades 9-12

Mr. Joe Milnes

 

Mrs. Lynn Keisel

 

 

 

Supervisor of Special Education

IEP Facilitator

 

 

jmilnes@ojrsd.net

 

lkeisel@ojrsd.net

 

610-469-5687

 

610-469-5863

Mrs. Carol Shotzbarger

Administrative Specialist

cshotzbarger@ojrsd.net

610-469-5167

Mrs. Heather DeVito-Berry

Secretary

hdevitoberry@ojrsd.net

610-469-5165

Mrs. Deb Toomey

IEP Scheduler

 

iepscheduler@ojrsd.net

610-469-5677