3.5 Special Education

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, preschool 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, teaching strategies, as well as other support systems to assist a student in meeting IEP goals. 

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

The San Francisco Unified School District is dedicated to identifying, locating and assessing all students within the district from birth to 22 years of age who may have disabilities, as well as providing 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) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) consistent with federal and state laws. 

This page was last updated on September 28, 2022