Special Education

Plano ISD Special Education Department Mission

Plano ISD Special Education Department will provide a full continuum of services and supports in order to educate, inspire, and empower every student to achieve their unique potential in a dynamic world.

Plano ISD provides special education services for students with disabilities, ages 3-21, who have a need for specially designed instruction. Identification of children with disabilities begins at birth. Plano ISD is actively involved with “child find” efforts to ensure that children with learning challenges have access to evaluations and services, when appropriate. Parents who have concerns about their child’s development or academic performance may call the Child Find 'Lift Off to Learning' Help Line at 469-752-4299, for more information.

Services for children who have auditory or visual impairments may begin at birth. Services for students with other disabilities are initiated on their third birthday. A student must meet eligibility criteria in one of the following areas: auditory impairment, autism, emotional disturbance, learning disability, intellectual disability, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, speech/language impairment, traumatic brain injury, or visual impairment.

Plano ISD believes in educating students in the least restrictive environment. A full continuum of instructional and related services is available to eligible students, with initial consideration given to the provision of services in the general education classroom to the greatest extent possible. Students spend various amounts of time in general education and special education settings, depending upon their specific needs. Planning for a student’s special education program begins on the neighborhood campus. Support services are available on the neighborhood campus as well as district-wide instructional/related services.

Parents are vital members of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Committee, which develops an appropriate program of services for each student.

• Dyslexia
• 504
• Multi-Tiered System of Supports/MTSS
  • MTSS Fact Sheet
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act/IDEA.   

TEA developed a document to assist parents whose children may have been previously delayed or denied an evaluation under IDEA in requesting compensatory services for their child. 

• OSEP (Office of Special Education Programs) Compensatory Services Notification Requirement: English / Español

The Parent-Directed Special Education Services (PDSES) program, previously, the Supplemental Special Education Services (SSES) program is a one-time $1,500 online grant for parents/guardians of eligible students served by special education and who are enrolled in a Texas public school. Parents/guardians of eligible students can use the online accounts to shop the marketplace to obtain educational materials and resources such as textbooks, curriculum, or technology devices and/or services such as additional speech therapy, tutoring, or other specific services.

Please note, the PDSES program is the same as the SSES program, just with a new name to better reflect the importance of parents as decision makers in the educational process. Families with current SSES applications will still be awarded accounts based on the order they applied. The same students who were eligible for the SSES program are eligible for the PDSES program.  If students already received an SSES grant, they will not be eligible for a PDSES program grant. 

For more information and resources, please visit the Texas Education Agency: Parent-Directed Special Education Services website.

Resources