Special Education Services

The public hearings for the San Francisco Unified School District SELPA Local Plan, Annual Budget Plan and Annual Service Plan will be held during the May 14th Board of Education Meeting and the May 23rd Community Advisory Committee for Special Education Meeting. 

Check out our Special Education Community Event Calendar to find FREE workshops and training events for SFUSD families and community members. 

We are delighted to share our updated SFUSD Special Education Family Handbook! This document contains information about navigating the special education and IEP process. Inside you will find information about meetings, timelines, how to request an IEP, what to expect in an IEP meeting, community resources and much more.

Are you facing a dilemma related to your student's IEP? Contact the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Team for support and thought partnership:

Adriana Aro, ADR Supervisor
adr@sfusd.edu
call or text: 415-823-4051
Request Form

Special Education Services is a flexible system of leadership and support that mobilizes resources and services to enable schools, families, and community to assist children and young adults in experiencing success.

The San Francisco Unified School District is dedicated to identify, locate and assess all students within the district from birth to 22 years of age who may have disabilities, as well as provide appropriate support and/or related services to those students as determined by an educational evaluation.

Our commitment is to provide eligible students with disabilities a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) consistent in the least restrictive environment (LRE) with federal and state laws.  

Special education is instruction specifically designed to address the educational and related developmental needs of children with disabilities. This includes early intervention services for infants and toddlers, pre-school for students starting at age three, services for school-age children in grades K-12, and transition services for eligible students up to age 22. For students with Individual Education Plans, instruction is based on the core curriculum. The IEP team documents accommodations and/or modifications and/or accommodations/ adaptations, teaching strategies, as well as other support systems to support a student in meeting IEP goals. that may help the student.

To help every child succeed, the SFUSD Board of Education established policies to ensure the use of effective practices to support students receiving special education services. 

Inclusive education is not a separate education initiative; rather it is a basic characteristic of school organizing to improve student performance. It recognizes that students requiring special education services are, first and foremost, general education students who require additional services and support to succeed in school. 

Inclusive practices recognize that decisions about student services are based on individual students’ specific needs, and require increased expectations for students with disabilities and a shared responsibility for the success of each and every student.

Thank you to all of our teachers, school leaders, families and community members for putting together such an impressive array of inclusion programming at our schools. One of the things that stood out this year is how many folks used the week to highlight inclusion activities and programs that happen at their sites all year long.