Pupil Personnel Services

Services available in our District

Related Services

Related services can be provided either individually or in a group of no more than five students with similar needs. Services can be provided as a pull-out (non-integrated) or a push-in (integrated) service.

Special Class in an Integrated Setting

Commonly referred to as Inclusion Classes, students receive their instruction alongside their grade appropriate peers. They are participating in the general education curriculum in a co-teaching setting. They are provided with the modifications, accommodations and supports necessary to enable them to successfully learn the curriculum and meet the state standards. Secondary Students are recommended into inclusion classes based on their level of need in each subject area. Elementary students may receive 2 - 4 hours of inclusion daily.

Special Class: Part-Time

• Elementary Students who need a higher level of academic support in core subjects of reading, writing and mathematics attend a morning special class then rejoin their general education class for the remainder of the school day.
• Secondary students who need a higher level of academic support in one or more of the core subject areas of English, Social Studies, and Mathematics. Secondary science classes are provided in inclusion setting as special education teachers cannot, unless certified in Science, teach Labs.

Special Class: Full-Time

• Elementary and Middle School students who are in need of maximum individualized instruction in all academic areas. Full-day special class students attend special area subjects (art, music, etc.) lunch and recess with their home room class and have opportunities to interact in non-academic settings with their peers.
• The High School Full-Day Special Class is a "split" class. The underclassmen, 9th and 10th grade students, attend the Practical Alternative Curriculum (PAC) class in the morning, then attend elective courses, lunch and physical education with their non-disabled peers. The upperclassmen, in grades 11 and 12, attend either a Vocational Training program at BOCES Vo-Tech or the Work Place Learning program through BOCES in the morning and receive their academic instruction in the PAC class in the afternoon.

Services available out of the District

BOCES Center and Satellites (Public School Program)

Students whose disabilities are of such a nature that they must receive instruction in a program that is provided outside the school district are served by Orange/Ulster BOCES or another local county BOCES. BOCES Satellites are located in the following districts: Minisink Valley, Warwick, Valley Central, Cornwall, Chester, Middletown, Goshen and Pine Bush. Satellite programs are housed in General Education buildings and offer some opportunity for special education students to interact with same age peers.

Private Day School Programs and/or Special Act Schools

Students who cannot be serviced by the Port Jervis City School District or any other Public School/BOCES Program due to the severity of their disability may be recommended to attend private day programs or special act school districts.

Homebound or Hospital Instruction

Tutoring is provided (1 hour daily for elementary students, 2 hours daily for secondary students) when there is a specific statement in writing from a physician that the student is not capable of attending school for a specified time period, and the Committee on Special Education is in agreement with the physician's recommendation.

Residential Placement

The total removal of the student from the home is necessary only in the most severe cases in order to deliver appropriate services to the student which do not exist within any of the less restrictive settings.

Project Discovery Preschool

Project Discovery offers a free universal pre-kindergarten program for all Port Jervis students the year prior to entering Kindergarten, and integrated preschool classes for all children with special needs.

This unique Easter Seals program provides special education services, including speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy and counseling to special needs preschoolers within the regular education environment, while simultaneously providing a rich and stimulating preschool curriculum for general education students.

The curriculum incorporates the Easter Seals Early Childhood Development philosophy, with the Special Education goals and objectives of the Port Jervis School District. The expertise of district teachers, and the creativity of the staff at Project Discovery, bring unique and essential elements to the program. Learn more about Project Discovery Preschool

More Information

Director of Pupil Personnel Services

Erica Walentin

Justin Karram 
Assistant Principal of Special Education Ext. 16520
 

Clerical Support

School Psychologists

& Out-of-District
(Last names L-Z)

Shannon Johnson
Ext. 13640
Anna S. Kuhl
Elementary School

Speech Therapists

Certified Occupational Therapists

Resources

• Orange County Developmental Disabilities Connection
• Project Discovery Preschool
• Notice of Special Review
• Procedural Safeguards Notice
• Parents Guide