Special Education Advisory Committee
About Steamboat Springs SEAC
The Steamboat Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) is an advisory committee that meets periodically to bring together parents, staff, students, and members of the community in order to make a positive impact on students with special needs and learning differences.
2024-2025 SEAC Meeting Dates
All meetings are held from 4:00-5:00 pm. The meetings will be held online and in-person. The meeting location will be announced prior to each meeting.
- September 18, 2024: Celebrations/Concerns to identify 1-3 focus areas
- October 23, 2024: Confirm the 1-3 focus areas for recommendations; Identify subcommittees for each focus area; Subcommittees develop a workplan
- November 20, 2024: Focus area subcommittee work sessions
- January 15, 2025: Focus area subcommittee work sessions
- March 26, 2025: Focus area subcommittee work sessions
- April 16, 2025: Finalize SEAC recommendations for each focus area
Parent and Guardian Handbook
SpEd Spotlights
The peer mentor program is in its third year at SSMS. It was started to help support a group of students with significant needs at the middle school, and as an opportunity to positively influence the whole school.
Hall and Muhme’s resumes may look different, but both paraprofessionals provide exceptional support to students needing individualized support to reach their full potential.
“It takes a village.” It’s a common phrase to describe what is needed to help kids thrive. Parents of special education students would say the same thing, and then some. Leaning on one another within the community gives our special education students the best chance of success.
That’s why Steamboat Adaptive Recreational Sports (STARS) is such an important asset to the Steamboat Springs School District and the special education community in the Yampa Valley.
Norfranc Duarte Montenegro has come a long way, and not just in terms of his journey to Steamboat Springs. Norfranc moved to the area from Nicaragua just shortly before the start of the 2021-22 school year. Prior to his arrival in Steamboat, he had never been to school before.
Within the halls of Strawberry Park Elementary School are three full-time paraprofessionals with individual passion for their jobs and collective compassion to do their best each day for all their students.
Special Education and Exceptional Abilities Resources
- Steamboat Springs School District (SSSD) - The school district website with links to school websites, calendars, policies, and staff contact information.
- Colorado Department of Education (CDE), Special Education Rules and Regulations - Be familiar with federal and state laws that protect the rights of students with special needs. These include Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), and Exceptional Children's Educational Act (ECEA).
- Northwest Board of Cooperative Educational Services (NW BOCES) - NW BOCES is a cooperative service agency providing special education, professional learning, grant coordination, alternative teacher licensure, induction program and other services to its member school districts.
- Yampa Valley Autism Program (YVAP) - Ensuring autistic and developmentally disabled children and their families have access to the therapy and supports necessary to live their best lives.
- True North Support Services - True North provides services to individuals with disabilities within the Steamboat Springs area to enhance their quality of life both socially and within work and educational settings.
- Horizons - Horizons works in partnership with families and communities to expand opportunities for individuals with, or at risk of, developmental disabilities.
- Colorado ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) - Colorado’s savings program for people living with disabilities. A not-for-profit agency within the Colorado Department of High Education that receives no taxpayer funding, Colorado ABLE provides a diverse menu of tax-advantaged savings plans to help persons with disabilities save for their futures and promote independence, while protecting their eligibility for public assistance programs.
- Northwest Colorado Center for Independence (NWCCI) - The Northwest Colorado Center for Independence supports people with disabilities and seniors by connecting them with providers of housing, transportation, employment, assistive technology, access to benefits and independent living services.
- Steamboat Adaptive Recreational Sports (STARS) - Empowering and enriching lives through adaptive recreational activities. STARS offers year-round life-changing adaptive programs that promote independence, self-esteem, and a healthy lifestyle for youth and adults with disabilities.
- Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association - The mission of Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association is to assure inclusion and enhance independence of people with Down syndrome. We will achieve this by providing education, resources and support in partnership with individuals, families, professionals, and the community. Please, contact Siobhan Pritchard at siobhan.p.pritchard@gmail.com for more information.
- The Arc of Colorado - The Arc of Colorado promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes. This mission is met by both legislative work and working with families and individuals to help navigate systems and agencies throughout the lifespan and provides free advocacy and systems navigation services to families and individuals who live with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Contact The Arc of Colorado through https://thearcofco.org/about/
contact/