Bedford County Schools (BCS) is pleased to announce the creation of two individualized programs to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities.
The Structured Teaching Reinforced in a Visual Environment, or STRIVE, classroom will be housed at Learning Way Elementary School. It will serve students in kindergarten through 2nd grade who need extra support with school readiness skills. The students and staff will utilize principles of applied behavior analysis to teach the way research has shown is most effective for students meeting the admission criteria. A teacher, a registered behavior technician, and an educational assistant will serve the students in this classroom.
The Reaching Independence through Support and Education, or RISE classroom, will be housed at Cascade Elementary School and will serve as a placement for students with emotional disabilities. It will emphasize social-emotional learning and be staffed with a teacher and a registered behavior technician. The classroom will serve kindergarten through fifth grade.
Bedford County Schools is also pleased to announce a shift toward disability acceptance in the language of our special education programming. The classroom at Liberty School, formerly known as BehaviorModification, will now be called Creative Atmosphere fostering Respect and Education, or CARE classroom. It will serve students with behavior needs who may or may not have verbal communication skills.
Additionally, the CDC program will now be called the Achieving Beyond Limited Expectations (ABLE) program, and it will be located at Cartwright Elementary School.
“Diversity is everyone having a seat at the table, inclusion is everyone at the table having a voice, and belonging is having that voice be heard,” explained BCS Special Education Supervisor Julie Haynes.
Haynes also noted that BCS strives for an inclusive environment and a more disability-accepting future.
Comments