Student Services Staff
Dr. Michael Volpe
Interim Assistant Superintendent of Student Services
mvolpe@elmhurst205.org
Colleen Cook
Director of Special Education, EC-5
ccook@elmhurst205.org
Anna Bahramis
Director of Special Education, 6-12+
abahramis@elmhurst205.org
Matt Collins
Assistant Director of Special Education, York
mcollins@elmhurst205.org
Sarah Cannon
Assistant Director, Student Services, McKinney-Vento Liaison
scannon@elmhurst205.org
Jill Mueller
Special Education Department Chair, York
jmueller@elmhurst205.org
Monica Garnica
Administrative Assistant for Student Services, Mckinney-Vento Liaison
mgarnica@elmhurst205.org
Arisve Esquivel
Administrative Assistant for Student Services
aesquivel@elmhurst205.org
Karen Spaeth
Administrative Assistant for Student Services
kspaeth@elmhurst205.org
Student Services
The Student Services Department is committed to providing support and services to students, parents, staff and administration consistent with federal and state mandates as well as with the district's vision for a rigorous and relevant education for all students. Elmhurst District 205 supports the rights of all individuals to be educated to the extent appropriate in general education settings, and attempts to be as inclusive as possible in its practices in serving students with special needs.
On the right side of this page, there are links to specific pages and documents which describe in detail the various components of the Student Services Department (such as Section 504, Homeless Services, Allergy Information, etc.) and Special Education process. If you have questions, please contact any of the administrators listed on the left side of this page.
Special Education Program Analysis
During the 2018-2019 school year we conducted a comprehensive review of the Special Education programs and services in District 205. Input was received from all stakeholder groups and the collected data was analyzed and complied into the reports and actions plans listed below.
IEP Meeting Exit Survey
In response to the findings of the comprehensive program analysis conducted during the 2018-19 school year, the Student Services department is engaging in focused efforts to address communication and parent engagement in the IEP process. Professional learning opportunities for IEP team members, along with changes to or communication practices prior to a scheduled meeting, are examples of the efforts being made this year to improve the overall experience for our families. To measure the progress towards our goals, we have developed a brief “Exit Survey” that we will ask an attending parent/guardian to complete at the end of an IEP meeting. It is our hope to gather feedback from as many families as possible so our plan is to seek completion of the survey at every student’s Annual Review meeting this year.
The Parent/Guardian attending the meeting will be asked to complete the survey at that time by either accessing the instrument online via a provided computer or by filling out a paper copy. They will also be given the option of having a link to the survey emailed to them so they can complete it on their phone or personal computer later that day. A Spanish version of the survey is also available in all formats. (The contents of the survey can be reviewed in the documents below)
We appreciate your participation and look forward to gathering your feedback and responding to the findings.