The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) is expanding special education offerings to include services for students in grades 6 and up at its South County Annex in Gilroy.
The expansion will begin in early November and will support both Gilroy Unified and Morgan Hill Unified School District students with disabilities in secondary grades. Once on campus, students will have access to gardening and music classes, weekly swimming, field trips, the student wellness center and inclusion opportunities with peers.
“We are pleased to be able to provide this option for eligible students and their families,” County Superintendent of Schools Mary Ann Dewan said. “I am thankful for the partnerships with both Gilroy Unified School District and Morgan Hill Unified School District. It is because of these valued partnerships that we are able to offer this expanded option for middle school and older students in South County.”
“We are thrilled to partner with the Santa Clara County Office of Education to provide resources to secondary students in South County,” Gilroy Unified School District Superintendent Anisha Munshi said. “Providing programming at the South County Annex will ensure students’ needs are met by skilled and caring staff members, close to home.”
“We’re grateful to the Santa Clara County Office of Education and the Gilroy Unified School District for their unwavering partnership and dedication to meeting the unique needs of our students,” Morgan Hill Unified School District Superintendent Carmen Garcia said. “This innovative approach will serve to educate and foster a culture of inclusion, providing boundless opportunities for each and every child to thrive, every single day. ”
The SCCOE South County Annex offers a variety of academic programs for individuals preschool aged through 22 years old. The academic programs currently include Head Start early learning, Opportunity Youth Academy, South County Community School and Migrant Education.
For information, visit tinyurl.com/2e337s8d.
This article is very misleading and questionable. Makes claims that are not true or realistic.
1. Where are they going swimming weekly? Are they really going swimming weekly? Is it an appropriate opportunity for all the students?
2. What/where is the “wellness center” and it is honestly available for these students?
3. What, truly, are the opportunities for the SPED students for ” inclusion opportunities with peers”? Are they supposed to integrate with pre-school children or students in the alternative education programs. Are those “inclusion opportunities with peers” appropriate for either of those populations?
4. What music program is available for the SPED students?
5. Are there appropriate bathrooms, changing rooms etc for appropriately serving the students.
Appropriate facilities, therapeutic pool, staffing, community access already existed at Gateway School, which was built and utilized since 1970. Why is the COE wanting to destroy a facility and program that worked for so many years and served the SPED population admirably?