Welcome to the Rural Virtual Academy Special Education and Student Services

This page contains information about special education and interventions offered. Should you ever have concerns about your child's academic, behavior, or socio-emotional functioning, please do not hesitate to reach out to any member on our special education team.  

ALL children can learn.  It is our job to help your child find the right avenues and provide the needed supports for learning to occur.

Special education services are available to those students who have been determined to meet eligibility criteria in one of the following areas:   

• Specific Learning Disability

• Emotional Behavioral Disability

• Autism

• Other Health Impairment

• Visual Impairment

• Intellectual Disability

• Hearing Impairment

• Significant Developmental Delay

• Traumatic Brain Injury

• Speech/Language Impairment

• Orthopedic Impairment

• Deafblind

Students that require special education are those with a documented disability that prevents them from being successful within the general education setting and structure without specific supports.  The level of need varies for each student and once qualified for support, an individualized education plan (IEP) is developed to detail and document the support provided.

The RVA has a special education team that evaluates students for suspected disabilities, re-evaluate students that have already been identified (at least every three years as mandated by law), and provides support and resources for struggling students.  Any student with an IEP is paired with a special education teacher who provides instruction and accommodations/modifications to the curriculum.  The special education teacher selects specific curriculum and interventions that target the student's area(s) of struggle.  Special education students that are enrolled in the RVA also have access to occupational therapy and speech/language therapy, if deemed needed as part of their IEP. The special education team works closely with the associated therapists to ensure that the student's IEP is being followed and that the student is making appropriate progress with their education.

Qualification for special education provides RVA staff much more flexibility with curricular expectations, schedules/timelines, and alternate means of completing assignments and tests.  Since each plan is tailored to the individual child and their needs, the education is truly designed for the benefit of the child.