Welcome to the Special Education Department

In accordance with IDEA-2004, each special needs school-age child has the right to an appropriate and individualized educational program. Eligibility for special education services is dependent on 1) an inability to progress effectively in a regular educational program and 2) a need for special education intervention because of temporary or more permanent adjustment difficulties or attributes arising from intellectual, sensory, emotional or physical factors, cerebral dysfunctions, perceptual factors, or other specific learning disabilities, or any combination of the above.

When there is a concern about a child’s performance in school, a referral for an evaluation can be made by school personnel, parents/guardians, judicial officer, social worker, family physician or by the child. Referrals are made to the guidance counselor or building principal.

On the basis of referral concerns and questions, an evaluation will be conducted by trained personnel in those areas (such as reading, mathematics, cognition, etc.) agreed upon by members of the evaluation TEAM, which includes parents/guardians. If a child is found to have special needs which cannot be adequately met within regular education, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) must be developed and signed by parents/guardians before a child can begin to receive special education services. The Special Education Department at the middle school provides a range of services to meet the individual needs of students. These services include:

  • Supporting the performance of students in regular education classes
  • Providing consultation to regular education teachers around curriculum modification or behavior management techniques
  • Small group remedial instruction in workshops
  • A counseling group designed to address the affective, social and personal development of students
  • Speech and language services, and occupational therapy services

These services are specifically prescribed for a student at the recommendation of all members of the Evaluation TEAM. The progress of each student is regularly reviewed at an annual meeting convened by the Case Manager assigned to the student. In addition, every three years a student receives a reevaluation in those same areas assessed previously. At every step of the process, parental consent and involvement is mandatory. For more specific information concerning special education services, contact Special Education at Ripley @ 978-341-2490 x8105 or x8106.

Resources

Staff

Peter Baldrachi

6th Grade, Special Education
pbaldrachi@concordps.org

Tom McKnight

7th Grade Cardinal, Special Education
tmcknight@concordps.org

Rakesh Bhol

8th Grade, Special Education
rbohl@concordps.org

Jobie Fagans

7th Grade Maroon, Special Education
jfagans@concordps.org

George Lewis

8th Grade, Special Education
glewis@concordps.org

Carey Bellino

All Grades, Special Education, Speech/Lanugage
cbellino@concordps.org

Hanae Habri

7th Grade, Special Education
hhabri@concordps.org

Melissa O’Donnell

6th Grade, Special Education
modonnell@concordps.org

Kathy Peebles

8th Grade, Special Education
kpeebles@concordps.org

Erika Reale

7th Grade Cardinal, 8th Grade Royal, ACCESS Program, Special Education
ereale@concordps.org

Donna Amidon

7th Grade, 8th Grade, Special Education
damidon@concordps.org

Laura Brande

Administration, Special Education
lbrande@concordps.org

Liz LeDuc

7th Grade, Special Education
lleduc@concordps.org

Richard Murphy

7th Grade, 8th Grade, Special Education
rimurphy@concordps.org

Dyan Pollock

6th Grade, Special Education
dpollock@concordps.org

Brendon Egan

8th Grade Sky, Department Chair, Special Education
began@concordps.org

Katie Grotenstein

Guidance, Special Education
kgrotenstein@concordps.org

Matthew Cadigan

6th Grade, School Psychologist, Special Education
mcadigan@concordps.org

Kim Cyr

Guidance, Special Education
kcyr@concordps.org

Jennifer Moran

Department Chair, Guidance, Special Education
jmoran@concordps.org

Hannah Stoudemire

7th and 8th Grade, Special Education
hstoudemire@concordps.org

Hannah Vincent

7th Grade, Special Education
hvincent@concordps.org

Meaghan Kacavich

7th Grade, 8th Grade, Special Education
mkacavich@concordps.org

Rose Salucci

6th Grade, Special Education
rsalucci@concordps.orG

James Patterson Ware

6th Grade, Special Education
jpattersonware@concordps.org

Noelle Rose

6th Grade, Special Education
nrose@concordps.org

Danielle Williams

6th Grade, Special Education
dawilliams@concordps.org

Cara Luther

7th and 8th Grade, Special Education
cluther@concordps.org

Meghan Logan

7th Grade, Connections, Special Education
mlogan@concordps.org

Laura Bastiani

6th Grade, Special Education
lbastiani@concordps.org

William Frangules

7th Grade, Connections, Special Education
wfrangules@concordps.org

Greg Connor

All Grades, Intensive Math, Mathematics, Special Education
gconnor@concordps.org

Amy Hoey

6th Grade, Special Education
ahoey@concordps.org

Mary Almeida

7th Grade Salmon, 8th Grade Navy, English, Intensive English, Special Education
malmeida@concordps.org