Special Education

Mailing Address:

CUESD/Special Education
1645 W. Mill Street
Anderson, CA  96007

Cascade’s Special Education department is robust with a variety of team members who may be involved in the IEP process for a student. Depending on the needs of the student, the IEP team will include various professionals, such as speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, general education teacher/s, mental health experts (i.e., counselor, therapist), an administrative representative for the school, and other professionals equipped to provide support for the student.

The Cascade School District includes a comprehensive team that is skilled and trained in various disciplines, so that they can best meet the needs of students who have been identified as having a disability that impacts their education. Special Education Department Director Natasha Greene is assisted by credentialed psychologists, speech pathologists, nurses, special education teachers, and paraprofessionals. This team works diligently to offer a variety of services and a continuum of supports and programs for students in preschool through 8th grade in the least restrictive environment, appropriate to the student’s need, so the student makes progress toward his or her goals. We are committed to ensuring that students with disabilities have the resources and support they need to be successful at school.

We work to identify teaching strategies, best practices, and interventions to meet the needs of all students. Our team is dedicated and committed to supporting instructional outcomes for all students. We welcome your comments and concerns.

Navigating the Special Education process can be challenging and confusing. Here is some information that you may find helpful.

• The term “Special Education” means specifically designed instruction to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability. We aim to be the district that focuses on the whole child and emphasizes the abilities, not the disabilities, of each student.
• IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan and it is a plan developed to ensure that a child who has a disability identified under the law and is attending school receives specialized instructions and related services appropriate to their need/s.
• A 504 Plan is a plan, guided by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), that is developed to ensure that a child who has a disability identified under the law and is attending school receives accommodations that improve academic functioning.
• So what is the difference between an IEP and 504 Plan? Not all students who have disabilities require specialized services. For students with disabilities who require specialized instruction, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) controls the procedural requirements, and an IEP is developed. For students with disabilities who do not require specialized instruction but need the assurance that they will receive equal access to public education and services,a document is created to outline their specific accessibility requirements. Students with 504 plans do not require specialized instruction, but like the IEP, a 504 plan should be updated annually to ensure that the student is receiving the most effective accommodations for his/her specific circumstances.
• Who is an Educational Rights Holder (ERH)? The default educational rights holder is a child’s biological parents. However, a court can limit a parent’s education rights and appoint a “responsible adult” or “educational representative” to make educational decisions for a child.

Who can be a child’s ERH?

• Biological parent
• Legal Guardian
• Responsible adult appointed by the court (i.e., foster parent or relative caregiver)
• Educational surrogate appointed by the school district
• For children in long-term foster care, after the parents' education rights have been limited and reunification efforts have ended, the current caregiver is the ERH.

If you are interested in learning more about Special Education services, please notify your child’s teacher or call 530-378-7000, ext. 7103.

School District Staff: To obtain a confidential file for a student, contact 530-378-7000, ext. 7103.

Special Education Staff:

Helpful Links:

• Child Find
• Procedural Safeguards - English
• Procedural Safeguards - Spanish
• CAC Flyer 2023-24
• CAC Parent Letter 2023-24
• Shasta County Office of Education SELPA Community Advisory Committee
• SELPA Policies