Special Education

Our Vision and Commitment

Special education is an individualized set of services and supports. We provide the necessary accommodations, modifications, and services to help students with disabilities access education. We are determined to see that our students with disabilities become successful adults engaged in the community.

Special Education Teachers and Special Service Providers
(updated August 2026)

Child Find Team

School Psychologist: Bob Kirchner
Speech Language Pathologist: Samantha Peterson
Occupational Therapist (OT): Melissa Steelman
Teacher: Alicia Bermudez

Sleeping Giant School (Pre-K–8)

School Psychologist: Bob Kirchner
Speech Language Pathologist: Samantha Peterson
Occupational Therapist (OT): Melissa Steelman
Physical Therapist (PT): Katie Haley
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Specialist (D&HH): Maggie Glueck
Registered Behavior Technician (RBT): Maddy Rodriguez
Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA): Aaron Copeland

Soda Creek Elementary

School Psychologist: Brandy Erholtz
Speech Language Pathologist: Amanda Rodhe
Occupational Therapist (OT): Molly Arndt
Physical Therapist (PT): Katie Haley
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Specialist (D&HH): Maggie Glueck
Registered Behavior Technician (RBT): Maddy Rodriguez
Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA): Aaron Copeland

Strawberry Park Elementary

School Psychologist: Nicole LeCuyer
Speech Language Pathologist: Julie Bernsen, Susan Adams
Occupational Therapist (OT): Alaina Belser
Physical Therapist (PT): Katie Haley
Behavior Support: Maddy Rodriguez
Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA): Aaron Copeland

Steamboat Springs Middle School

School Psychologist: Bob Kirchner
Speech Language Pathologist: Susan Adams
Occupational Therapist (OT): Molly Arndt, Melissa Steelman
Physical Therapist (PT): Katie Haley
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Specialist (D&HH): Maggie Glueck
Registered Behavior Technician (RBT): Maddy Rodriguez
Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA): Aaron Copeland

Steamboat Springs High School

School Psychologist: Nicole LeCuyer
Speech Language Pathologist: Susan Adams
Occupational Therapist (OT): Molly Arndt
Physical Therapist (PT): Katie Haley
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Specialist (D&HH): Maggie Glueck
Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI): Jason Eavenson
Registered Behavior Technician (RBT): Maddy Rodriguez
Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA): Aaron Copeland

Yampa Valley High School

School Psychologist: Nicole LeCuyer
Speech Language Pathologist: Susan Adams
Occupational Therapist (OT): Molly Arndt
Registered Behavior Technician (RBT): Maddy Rodriguez
Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA): Aaron Copeland

Transition / Strides

School Psychologist: Nicole LeCuyer
Speech Language Pathologist: Susan Adams
Occupational Therapist (OT): Molly Arndt
Physical Therapist (PT): Katie Haley
Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA): Aaron Copeland

Parent and Guardian Resources

Special Education Advisory Committee
Special Education Handbook for Parents and Guardians
Get to Know SSSD Paraprofessionals

Special Education Handbook for Parents and Guardians

Colorado IEP Parent/Guardian Training

Contact

Kristen Atwood
Director of Exceptional Student Services
Email
970-871-3164

Child Find

At SSSD, we make sure that young learners who have difficulties or delays in development get the help they need to be successful in school. The purpose of the SSSD Child Find program is to locate and identify preschool-aged children ages three to five who are having difficulty with their development in one or more of the following areas:

Link to more information

Center-Based Programs for Students with Autism and Intensive Support Needs

We are pleased to share upcoming additions to our district’s continuum of services for students with autism and intensive support needs.

Soda Creek Elementary will open a center-based autism program beginning Fall 2026. This program will support students with significant support and complex communication needs in a specialized instructional setting within the school.

This program will not change the daily schedule or learning experience for current Soda Creek students. It will operate within established school routines while providing targeted, high-quality supports for participating students.

As a districtwide program, Soda Creek Elementary will serve as the program site. In some cases, students from other elementary schools may attend if their IEP team, in partnership with families, determines that this setting is the best fit for the student’s needs.

Looking ahead, in Fall 2027, the district will open two additional center-based programs:

Sleeping Giant School will host a center-based program for students with Affective Needs.
Strawberry Park Elementary will host a Multi-Intensive center-based program.

Over the next year, we will identify highly skilled staff and provide specialized training to ensure each program launches with strong instructional practices, trained teams, and appropriate supports in place.

We are proud to expand services for students and families across the district and grateful to our school communities for their partnership and support. More information will be shared as planning continues.

For questions, please contact Kristen Atwood, Director of Exceptional Student Services (katwood@ssk12.org).

IEP Process

Parents who suspect their child may have a disability which impacts their ability to access their education should contact their child’s counselor to discuss the process. The counselor may suggest a meeting to bring together a school based team to gather information, review records, and discuss concerns. The team then may create a plan to provide additional strategies in the area of concern along with a way to monitor progress. This process is referred to as Response to Intervention (RtI) or Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS).

Based on information from the MTSS process, the Student Focus Team may suggest further assessments to determine if the student is eligible for special
education services. Parents have a right to make a direct request for a special education referral at any time. The school team then has to consider if the data they have also suggests continuing with a special education assessment and a team decision will be made on how to proceed to best meet the students needs.

Once the team and parents agree to do an assessment for the suspected area of disability, there is a formal process that includes parent permission,
conducting assessments, and meetings to determine if the student meets the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) criteria for a specific disability area
(see Categories below).

If the criteria is met and the student is identified with a disability that impacts their ability to access their education, then an Individual Education Plan (IEP)
will be created with the IEP team which includes parents. More information about this process is described on the CDE website:

Available through the Colorado Department of Education: http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdesped/iep

CDE 504 Definition

Section 504 is the part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that guarantees specific rights in federally funded programs and activities to people who
qualify as disabled.

Section 504 states:
"No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States...shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance...Section 504 is enforced by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). OCR can be contacted by calling 303-844-5695.

The School District is responsible for the implementation of Section 504. For more information, contact the Section 504/ADA Coordinator for your District:
Naomi Lang nlang@ssk12.org.

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Special Education

Our Vision and Commitment