Special Education

At Temecula Valley Charter School, we believe every student deserves access to a high-quality, inclusive education. Our Special Education program is designed to support students with mild to moderate disabilities through personalized services, family partnership, and collaborative instruction.

We provide both push-in and pull-out support, depending on the needs identified in each student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP), always striving to maintain placement in the Least Restrictive Environment.

 

Student Support Team

Our expert staff provides a full range of services to meet academic, behavioral, emotional, and language needs:

  • Dr. Tanisha Penick, School Psychologist
  • Dr. Tonia Stafford-McClure, School Psychologist
  • Kari van Eikhof, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Ashley Stuppy, Speech & Language Pathologist
  • Livinia Snyder, Occupational Therapist
  • Sarah Price, Educational Specialist
  • Stephanie Henry, Educational Specialist

Speech & Language Services

Speech and Language services are offered for students whose communication needs impact their educational access. Services may include direct instruction, consultation, or collaboration with teachers and parents.

We provide support in the following areas:

  • Articulation: Difficulty producing sounds clearly
  • Phonology: Patterns of sound errors that affect clarity
  • Fluency: Stuttering or disrupted speech patterns
  • Voice Disorders: Unusual voice quality, volume, or pitch
  • Language Processing: Difficulty understanding or expressing language
  • Pragmatics (Social Communication): Challenges with conversational rules, tone, and expression

Referral Process

If you have concerns about your child’s academic or developmental progress:

  1. Start by talking with your child’s teacher.
  2. A Student Study Team (SST) meeting may be scheduled to discuss concerns and implement interventions.
  3. Your child may participate in school-based supports such as:
    • After-school Math Intervention
    • ROAR Literacy Support
    • Digital learning tools
  4. Progress is monitored over 12–18 weeks. If progress is limited, an evaluation for special education may be considered.

Early intervention is key. If the intervention works, we continue with what’s effective!

Child Find Responsibilities

Temecula Valley Charter School must implement an ongoing system to locate, identify and evaluate all children birth to 21 residing within its jurisdiction who have disabilities and need early intervention under Part C or special education under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act. Temecula Valley Charter School must identify all children with disabilities, regardless of the severity of their disabilities, including children who are:

  • Highly mobile, such as migrant and homeless children; 2025-2026 Annual Notifications and Required Postings This memorandum is not legal advice and may not be construed as such.
  • Wards of the State;
  • Suspected of having a disability even though they advance from grade to grade; or
  • Home schooled.

Temecula Valley Charter School’s child find efforts must include: 1. Communication to Parents/Guardians. Inform parents and guardians about the availability of special education and related services and provide them with information about initiating a referral for a special education evaluation, including information about early intervention under Part C and special education under Part B. 2. Staff awareness. Ensure that staff members are knowledgeable about the characteristics of children with disabilities and in need of special education, and the referral process for all children, including infants or preschool children, suspected of having disabilities.

Helpful Family Resources

Explore these resources for additional guidance and support:

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