Pupil Services & Special Education
Special Education
The School District of Howards Grove provides a wide variety of special education services to students with disabilities. Students who are suspected of having a disability will be referred for an evaluation. After the evaluation process is completed and a disability criteria is met, the student will receive special education services. Once a determination for eligibility has been made, an Individual Education Plan (IEP) is developed and implemented. In addition to a special education teacher or case manager, some students will also receive services from specialists in the area of speech and language, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. All students are entitled to receive their federally guaranteed free, appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment.
Counseling Services
The counseling department consists of three full time counselors, one at each school. The team works collaboratively to teach to and provide services to the students of the School District of Howards Grove 4K-12th grade.
Mrs. Pfeifer meets with all classes every three weeks to provide tier one instruction that meet the ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors. She also provides tier two and three services to meet unique learner needs. Other responsive services include short term individual counseling, small group counseling, and crisis management. Mrs. Pfeifer works with families to set up long term mental health and behavioral support through our local community agencies.
Mrs. Luecke continues to teach tier one lessons following the ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors in 5th-6th grade. They begin to focus on college and career ready planning. Students are introduced to Xello software for researching future career pathways. Mrs. Luecke also provides short term individual counseling, small group counseling, and crisis management. Mrs. Luecke works with families to set up long term mental health and behavioral support through our local community agencies. Mrs. Luecke also serves as our district Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Trainer.
Mrs. Neave helps all of our students prepare for life after high school. She helps develop pathways for each student in high school to best meet their future plans as well as meeting graduation requirements. She provides opportunities for students to research post-secondary options including but not limited to four-year colleges, technical schools, armed services, and workforce positions. She is dedicated to opening the door for students to dive into the pathway of their interest. Mrs. Neave also provides responsive services include short term individual counseling, small group counseling, and crisis management. Mrs. Neave works with families to set up long term mental health and behavioral support through our local community agencies.
All three counselors serve as our 504 case managers within their buildings. The counselors participate in building and team wide meetings to provide input and support problem solving conversations for students. They organize and lead our Student Support Team (SST) meetings which help develop a plan for specific student needs. When we approach the end of a school year, the counselors hold transition meetings from 4th to 5th and 8th to 9th grade. All counselors organize the PATH program in their building which provides students with long term counseling from a licensed mental health therapist within the school setting by removing barriers to care.
School Psychologist
Mr. Jon Britanyak serves as our part-time School Psychologist. Jon supports the School District of Howards Grove by attending our Student Support Team Meetings (SSTs) to help develop plans for students with needs beyond tier one instruction in academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs. When a student is referred for a special education evaluation, Jon will conduct assessments as well as engage in observations. He will attend evaluation and re-evaluation meetings to share his assessment findings and interpret the assessment results to the guardians of the child. Jon is always willing to speak with families and help them understand their rights as parents through this process.
