Special Education Department

Welcome to Boerne Independent School District's Special Education Program. Here you will find answers to frequently asked questions and informative resources about Special Education in the Boerne Independent School District.

Although Boerne ISD has over 2,000 students identified as needing special education, our staff is dedicated to providing the most individualized of services as possible. Under both federal and state law, the goal of special education is to help students with disabilities become as independent as possible as they move through the schools. Further, the law requires that each student should become employable, if possible, when they leave the educational setting. This may include opportunities to pursue post-high school education. Every program provided through special education is dedicated to these goals.

We hope you will benefit from what you learn here and that you will visit this site often. If any of our staff may be of service to you, please contact us. We hope you enjoy learning more about the people and the services that are a part of the Special Education Program in the Boerne Independent School District.

Parent-Directed Special Education Services (PDSES)
formerly Supplemental Special Education Services (SSES)

School System Requirements
and Program Updates

Special Education or IEP-Related Questions?

The Special Education Information Center (SPEDTex) works collaboratively with stakeholders to provide resources and facilitate collaboration that supports the development and delivery of services to children with disabilities in our state.

Phone: 1-855-SPEDTEX (1-855-773-3839)

spedtex website

Sped Operating Guidelines
The Learning Continuum:

The Boerne Independent School District provides a continuum of special education offerings. These services include, but are not limited to:

To the extent that they will benefit, eligible special education students are included with their age-appropriate peers in regular schools. Many programs are available to these students. Both general education and special education teaching staff have received extensive training in making accommodations, adaptations, and modifications, for learning differences.
- Students may remain in the general education classroom all day with assistance as needed from a special education teacher/teaching assistant.
- Students identified as having a speech impairment are served during the school day by a speech/language pathologist.
- Students may report to a special education classroom on the general education campus less than 50% of the time or be served by one or more special education teachers for more than 50% of the time, if needed.
- Students 14 years or older may participate in on/off campus community-based vocational training and/or Community-Based Instruction (CBI) opportunities.
- Students 16 years or older may receive on-the-job training under the supervision of a vocational adjustment coordinator, job coach, or community-based teacher or teaching assistant.
- Students with visual impairments receive instruction in the use of advanced technology and in social skills while attending general education or special education classes.
- Students with auditory impairments may receive instruction in Regional Day School Program for the Deaf (RDSPD) classrooms provided in Northside ISD or in classrooms with support from the Auditory Impairment itinerant teacher.
Child Find: Serving Children with Different Learning Needs:

A parent, teacher or other professional may refer a student for special education evaluation at any time by contacting the school's principal or adiminstrator of special education.

Boerne Independent School District is committed to identifying, locating, and evaluating all children who reside within the school district boundaries who are suspected of having a disability and who may be in need of Special Education and Related Services. This is accomplished collaboratively through Reach and Teach, and through the "CHILD Process."

Child Find is a free referral information service that helps children who need assistance with learning challenges which prevent them from doing well in school. By pinpointing problems early, beginning at birth, Child Find offers every infant, child, and youth an equal chance to achieve his or her full potential.

For example, if you notice that your child plays differently from others, or has problems with vision, hearing, speech, or coordination, he or she may benefit from services offered through the public schools. Does your child demonstrate problems or difficulties in any of the following areas?
- Speech/Language (difficulty pronouncing words, difficulty being understood by others, has difficulty or does not respond when spoken to, and/or does not babble, coo, or talk)
- Hearing (inappropriate response or no response to sound, chronic ear problems, and/or pulls ears)
- Vision (unable to see things close up and/or far away, avoids eye contact, unable to follow objects, squints eyelids together, and/or rubs eyes often)
- Cognitive/Mental (does not understand directions or instructions, does not play or relate to others, and/or does not identify common objects)
- Motor/Physical Development (uneven or no movement, physically overactive or passive, clumsy, and/or limited strength, vitality, or alertness)
- Behavior (restless, need for constant movement, no understanding of real dangers, and/or experiencing drastic mood swings)
- Self-Help (some concerns may be: does not try to feed self, rarely expresses wants or desires, and/or shows little or no independence)
No one knows your child better than you. That is why you are more likely than anyone else to notice something different in your child's behavior, physical ability, mental development, or learning patterns. If a child with a learning difference begins working with an educational professional when problems are first noticed, the chances are much greater that the child will have a positive experience at school.

If you are concerned that your child seems to be learning or playing differently than others, please call our Special Education Department at 830-357-2098 for more information. We're here to help you access services to meet the unique learning needs of your child.

Instructional Arrangements:

General Education Accommodations: Special education staff work cooperatively with the general education teachers to ensure that the student modifications and accommodations are understood and implemented in general education.

Inclusion: Students will receive support in the general education setting.

Resource: Resource is a structured program based on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills general education curriculum in Reading, Language Arts/English, and Math. Instruction in a resource setting is provided by a Special Education teacher and is designed to meet individual academic needs and increase academic competence.

Self-Contained: Self-contained classes are designed for students with severe cognitive disabilities and educational needs that require a specialized curriculum and instruction by a special educator. The array of classes includes a variety of instructional arrangements for students who demonstrate special behavioral and/or academic needs.

Homebound: This service is designed to provide instruction to students who are unable to attend school due to accidents, illness, or a non-contagious disease as documented by a licensed physician. Students instructed through homebound services are expected to be confined to the home for a minimum of four consecutive weeks or any period of time totaling at least four weeks throughout the school year.

Speech and Language Therapy: This program provides remediation for students with communications disorders to improve their effectiveness and performance in the academic environment.

Early Childhood: This is a class for 3, 4, and 5-year-old students with disabilities to enable them to attend school with non-disabled peers. The peers are children of district employees who pay childcare fees to support the ECC teacher.

Early Childhood Special Education: The ECSE program provides services to eligible 3, 4, and 5-year-old children. Parent-professional collaboration is an integral part of the ECSE program.

Vocational Adjustment Class: Vocational training is provided for students in a variety of classes and settings. Certain students may qualify to earn a high school diploma while participating in employment with work progress monitored by the VAC teacher and employer. Classroom instruction supports students enrolled in the VAC program.

Educatonal Services:

Auditory Impairment (AI): An impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects the child's educational performance. The hearing loss must be documented by an otologist (ENT) and an audiologist.

Visual Impairment (VI): A serious visual disability, even with correction, as determined by a licensed ophthalmologist, that affects educational performance. The Program for Students With Visual Impairments provides services for students in Boerne who have serious visual impairment from birth to age 22.

Speech Therapy (SI): A serious communication disorder, as determined by a Speech Language Pathologist, that affects educational performance. Speech or Language Impairment services can begin at 3 years of age. Services include therapy to improve fluency, articulation, or language.

Adapted Physical Education (APE): An appropriate physical education plan for students with special needs not able to participate in regular PE with modifications.

Related Services:

Occupational Therapy: The Occupational Therapist uses purposeful, goal-directed activities to enable a student with a disability to benefit from special education services. Therapy is designed to assist in the development of skills that are prerequisites to academic learning within the educational setting. Depending on student needs, it may include improving gross and fine motor skills, coordination, adapting environments, organizing and using material appropriately, and/or developing routines for dressing and feeding skills. The school district's OT works with students from an educational model.

Physical Therapy: The Physical Therapist plans and implements programs that will help students meet their educational goals and objectives and benefit from special education services. The therapist is concerned with facilitating the child's overall performance in the classroom, considering the student's developmental level and physical disability. Services are provided to enhance independent functioning. The school district's PT works with students from an educational model.

Assistive Technology: A related service that helps students to become more independent in their surroundings with the use of any materials or equipment to improve communication, learning, and self-help skills. Boerne ISD insures that properly evaluated assistive technology devices and services are provided to assist students.

Transportation: The safe and comfortable transportation of the district's special education students who ride to school and job sites on buses is a priority of the Boerne ISD Transportation Department.

Home/Parent Training: Boerne ISD Special Education Department provides periodic opportunities for parents to attend disability-related conferences. We also host parent training events and sponsor parent networking groups. Home training is a specialized service that is offered to eligible families.
What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability. It refers to a cluster of symptoms, which result in people having difficulties with specific language skills, particularly reading. Students with dyslexia usually experience difficulties with other language skills such as spelling, writing, and pronouncing words. Dyslexia affects individuals throughout their lives; however, its impact can change at different stages in a person’s life. It is referred to as a learning disability because dyslexia can make it very difficult for a student to succeed academically in the typical instructional environment. For information regarding characteristics of dyslexia and related disorders, visit the International Dyslexia Association official website and the Texas Dyslexia Handbook, 2024 page 7.

What are some effective instructional strategies for teaching students with Dyslexia & related disorders?

Effective literacy instruction is especially critical for students identified with dyslexia. High-quality core classroom reading instruction can give students identified with dyslexia a foundation upon which intervention instruction can have a more significant impact. For more information regarding evidence-based components of dyslexia instruction, visit the Texas Dyslexia Handbook, 2024, pages 38-41.

Evaluation and Indentification of Dyslexia and related disorders:

The Dyslexia Handbook, 2024 and TEA’s Guidance for the Comprehensive Evaluation of SLD discuss dyslexia and dysgraphia as conditions that may qualify a student as a student with a SLD under IDEA. For more information visit The Dyslexia Handbook, 2024 page 23 and the Guidance document for the comprehensive evaluation of specific learning disabilities, page 23.

Instructional modification & accommodations:

The key to student success in the classroom lies in having appropriate adaptations, accommodations, and modifications made to the instruction and other classroom activities. Visit Accommodation Central to explore an extensive list of accommodations to support students.

Accommodations Vs. Modifications

TEA Accommodation resources for state assessments

How do you request a Dyslexia evaluation:
Pursuant to Section 504 (§504) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the District has a duty to identify, refer, evaluate and if eligible, provide a free, appropriate public education to disabled students.

Child Find - any student who needs or is believed to need Section 504 services must be “identified” by the district for referral to Section 504 committee evaluation.

What is Section 504?

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a federal law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. Unlike Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that governs special education, Section 504 is not an education, service, or funding statue. The purpose of Section 504 is to ensure that individuals with disabilities are given the same opportunity to participate in programs and activities as are their nondisabled peers.

Does Section 504 require an evaluation to determine eligibility?

Yes. However, evaluation does not necessarily mean a test or formal psychological evaluation. It refers to the gathering of data and/or information from a variety of sources so that the Section 504 committee may make the required determinations. Depending on the suspected disability, common sources of evaluation data are grades, attendance records, health information, standardized test scores, teacher comments, observations, medical records, discipline referrals, etc. The committee will consider any data provided by the parent, including medical documentation and private evaluations.

Who is eligible under Section 504?

Students may qualify for protection under Section 504 if they have a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. A label, disability, or diagnosis, alone, does not make a student eligible under Section 504. The disability must substantially limit the student’s performance as compared to the performance of the average student in the general population.

The 504 Plan

This is a written document outlining specific accommodations and/or related services that are necessary for the student to access all programs and facilities. This may include extracurricular activities as well. All accommodations that are approved by the Section 504 committee must be necessary due to the specific substantial limitations caused by the student’s documented disability. Accommodations are intended to level the playing field and not to give an unfair advantage.

1. Referral: Parents/Guardians are invited to refer their child to the 504 process if they believe that their student has a physical or mental impairment that could make their child eligible for Section 504 protections. Other individuals may also make referrals, such as health care professionals, teachers, and other school staff members. Each school has a Section 504 coordinator who will facilitate the process; in BISD your counselor is your 504 Coordinator.

2. Eligibility: Once the referral has been received by the school, the Section 504 coordinator may ask the parent/ guardian to provide medical documentation or additional information and invite the parent/guardian to attend a Section 504 eligibility determination meeting. At the meeting, the 504 committee will review all available information and determine whether the student is eligible for Section 504.

3. Plan Development: If the student is determined to be eligible, then the Section 504 committee will write an Individual Accommodation Plan (IAP) or Section 504 plan for the student, describing the student’s impairment and accommodations and services that the student needs to access the general education curriculum at school.

4. Monitoring: The Section 504 committee will meet annually to review the student’s Section 504 plan and to determine whether any changes are needed. Parents/guardians can also request a meeting if they think that the Section 504 Plan needs to be reviewed or updated. The Section 504 committee may also review the student’s eligibility for Section 504 every three years (for example, obtain updated letter of diagnosis, or review if the impairment still presents substantial limitations, etc.)

Aiding students who have learning difficulties or who need special education or Section 504 services:

For those students who are having difficulty in the regular classroom, all school districts and open enrollment charter schools must consider tutorial, compensatory, and other academic or behavior support services that are available to all students, including a process based on Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) . The implementation of MTSS has the potential to have a positive impact on the ability of districts and charter schools to meet the needs of all struggling students.

If a student is experiencing learning difficulties, his or her parent may contact the campus principal to learn about the school’s overall general education referral or screening system for support services. This system links students to a variety of support options, including making a referral for a special education evaluation or for a Section 504 evaluation to determine if the student needs specific aids, accommodations, or services. A parent may request an evaluation for special education or Section 504 services at any time.

Who is the Section 504 Coordinator on the campus?

In BISD, your counselor is designated as the Section 504 Coordinator.

If I suspect that my child needs a Section 504 plan, what are the first steps that I should take?

Provide to the campus Section 504 Coordinator any available data that you have supporting the suspected disability.

If I have questions regarding the implementation of or change to my child’s Section 504 Plan, who do I contact?

You will want to reach out to the campus Section 504 coordinator to address your concerns. A Section 504 meeting will be held if any changes need to be made to the plan. Decisions to make changes in a plan are driven by data, committee discussion, and anecdotal information from parents and teachers.
Accessibility & Specialization Tools ARC if San Antonio Autism Community Network Autism Speaks Believe Dental Best Value Schools Boerne Blaze Special Olympics Child Development Resources Partners Resource Network Region 20 Parent & Family Engagement Sessions Texas SPED Resource Library SPED Eligible Student $1500 Grant Texas Legal Framework Texas Council For Development Disabilities
Procedural Safeguards:

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), you and your child have legal protections during the evaluation and individualized education program (IEP) process. These protections are called Procedural Safeguards. SPEDTex makes this resource available in over 30 different languages. Click the link below to download this resource.

Additional Languages Available

Parent's Guide to the ARD Process:

This guide is designed to give you, as a parent of a child who is or may be eligible for special education services, a better understanding of the special education process and of your procedural rights and responsibilities so that you will be able to fully participate in the decision making process regarding your child's education. SPEDTex makes this resource available in over 30 different languages. Click the link below to download this resource.

Additional Languages Available

Texas Transition and Employment Guide:

This resource is currently being updated to align with revision to new rule and statute adopted in the 24-25 school year. Please review the most recent rule changes at the TEA Proposed Commissioner of Education Rules or the TEA Back to School Updates for Special Educators, Administrators, and Other Professionals for more information.

Information on statewide services and programs that assist in the transition to life outside of the public school system. This guide includes transition services; employment and supported employment services; social security programs; community and long-term services and support; postsecondary educational programs and services; information sharing with health and human services agencies and providers; guardianship, alternatives to guardianship, including a supported decision-making agreement under Chapter 1357, Estates Code; self-advocacy, person-directed planning, and self-determination; and contact information for all relevant state agencies.

Additional Languages Available