Who We Are

Brandie Genske

Email address:  bgenske@shawanoschools.org

Phone: 715-526-3194 Ext. 8016

Jodi Guenther

Email address:  jguenther@shawanoschools.org

Phone: 715-526-3194 Ext. 8501

Rose Duszynski

Email address:  rduszynski@shawanoschools.org

Phone: 715-526-3194 Ext. 8030

School Nursing Staff

School Resources and Forms

• Medication Administration Consent - This form is required before any medication can be given at school including prescription and over the counter medications. This forms is also required to be on file for students who self-carry Epipens. A new form is required every school year.

• Asthma Medication Consent - Complete for asthma medications used at school, including inhalers that students self-carry. A new form is required every school year.

• Vaccine Waiver Form - Use this form to select an exemption from vaccine requirements.

• Dietary Accommodation - Use this form to request a dietary accommodation.

• Release of Information - The medical release of information form lets your school nurse speak with your health care provider.

• Wisconsin Seal-A-Smile - sign up your child to receive dental sealants and other preventive services at school.

Addtional Resources

• Wisconsin Immunization Registry

• Shawano-Menominee Counties Health Dept

Too Sick for School? Use these guidelines to help you decide.

• Fever - Students with a fever (temperature >100.0) are expected to stay home until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of medication like Tylenol or ibuprofen.
• Vomiting/Diarrhea - Children with gastrointestinal illness should have not vomited or had diarrhea in the past 24 hours in order to return to school.
• Unexplained Rash - Contact your healthcare provider for guidance.
• Contagious illness which is being treated with antibiotics - Generally, students should have 24 hours of antibiotic treatment prior to returning to school. Examples of these types of illness are; strep throat or impetigo. An ear infection is not contagious and would be an example of an exception to this rule. Other contagious illness may require a longer exclusion period, follow the recommendations of your doctor or health department.
• Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis) - The American Academy of Pediatrics no longer recommends staying home from school for pink eye unless a child is unable to avoid touching his/her eye, has a fever, or the provider recommends staying home.
• Other - Symptoms that prevent the student from active participation in usual school activities OR student is requiring more care than school can safely provide.
  Mild cold symptoms and an occasional cough are not a reason to keep your child home from school.  A general rule of thumb is if your child feels ill to the point he/she can not participate in school activities, please keep him/her home. 

About School Nursing

School nursing is a specialized practice of professional nursing that advances the well-being, academic success and life-long achievement and health of students. To that end, school nurses facilitate positive student responses to normal development; promote health and safety including a healthy environment; intervene with actual and potential health problems; provide case management services; and actively collaborate with others to build student and family capacity for adaptation, self-management, self advocacy, and learning (NASN, 2010)

School Psychologists

School Psychologists Work With Students to:

• Provide counseling, instruction, and mentoring for those struggling with social, emotional, and behavioral problems

• Increase achievement by assessing barriers to learning and determining the best instructional strategies to improve learning

• Promote wellness and resilience by reinforcing communication and social skills, problem solving, anger management, self-regulation, self-determination, and optimism

• Enhance understanding and acceptance of diverse cultures and backgrounds

School Psychologists Work With Students and Their Families to:

• Identify and address learning and behavior problems that interfere with school success

• Evaluate eligibility for special education services (within a multidisciplinary team)

• Support students' social, emotional, and behavioral health

• Teach parenting skills and enhance home–school collaboration

• Make referrals and help coordinate community support services

School Psychologists Work With Teachers to:

• Identify and resolve academic barriers to learning

• Design and implement student progress monitoring systems

• Design and implement academic and behavioral interventions

• Support effective individualized instruction

• Create positive classroom environments

• Motivate all students to engage in learning

School Psychologists Work With Administrators to:

• Collect and analyze data related to school improvement, student outcomes, and accountability requirements

• Implement school-wide prevention programs that help maintain positive school climates conducive to learning

• Promote school policies and practices that ensure the safety of all students by reducing school violence, bullying, and harassment

• Respond to crises by providing leadership, direct services, and coordination with needed community services

• Design, implement, and garner support for comprehensive school mental health programming

School Psychologists Work With Community Providers to:

• Coordinate the delivery of services to students and their families in and outside of school

• Help students transition to and from school and community learning environments, such as residential treatment or juvenile justice programs

About School Psychologists

School psychologists help children and youth succeed academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally. They collaborate with educators, parents, and other professionals to create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments that strengthen connections between home, school, and the community for all students.

School Social Workers

School Social Workers' Primary Roles:

• Advocacy for students and families,
• Individual student counseling,
• Consultation to teachers, administrators, and other school staff,
• Referral and information,
• Casework and management,
• Facilitating and serving on pupil services and building consultation teams,
• Crisis intervention and coordination,
• Assessment of students,
• School-home-community liaison, and
• Group work, counseling, and student assistance programs.

About School Social Workers

School social workers use a wide range of evidence-based strategies to ensure that students are in the classroom physically and mentally ready to learn. They utilize a strength-based approach that views students and organizations as parts of systems. The functioning of and relationships within and between systems are enhanced to improve student learning. School social workers understand how to go out into the greater community to engage families and community organizations to create better outcomes for students (e.g., increased academic achievement, safety, attendance, and social-emotional-behavioral functioning). Shawano School District focuses their school social work services on students who are struggling in school due to barriers to learning that may exist within the students or their environments.

School Counselors

About School Counselors

The ultimate goal of a comprehensive school counseling program is student success. The program's design, delivery, and content are dedicated to enhancing the ability of all students to fully utilize the educational opportunities available to them. The PreK-12 program is delivered through direct and indirect services designed to address three domains of student development: academic, personal/social, and career.

Comprehensive school counseling programs are integral to the school's educational environment and partner with other academic and behavioral initiatives to effect positive changes in student achievement and behavior. Professional school counselors plan the comprehensive school counseling program and facilitate its delivery in collaboration with school administrators, other professional educators, and community members to produce measurable results. In a comprehensive program, the school counselor serves as a leader, advocate, and collaborator working to recognize and remove systemic barriers to student success. Resulting positive changes include increased student achievement, an improved graduation rate, better attendance, reduced disciplinary referrals, completed individual learning plans, and increased student participation in the community.

Student Services Student Information 

English Language Learners

Agurda Engel
ELL Coordinator
aengel@shawanoschools.org

About The Shawano School District ESL Program

The purpose of the Bilingual and ESL programs in the state of Wisconsin is to assist school districts serving students who are English language learners (ELLs) to become proficient in academic English and prepared for their continuing education, and career readiness goals.

Notice of Child Find Activity

SHAWANO SCHOOL DISTRICT CONFIDENTIALITY OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION OBTAINED THROUGH CHILD FIND ACTIVITIES
 

The Shawano School District is required to locate, identify, and evaluate all children, with disabilities, including children with disabilities attending private schools in the school district, and homeless children.  The process of locating, identifying, and evaluating children with disabilities is known as child find.  This agency conducts the following child find activities each year:

One week each summer and two days during the school year there will be child find screenings conducted at Hillcrest School.  An announcement for the dates and times for the early childhood screenings will be placed in the Shawano Leader and Shoppers’ Guide.  Formal evaluations will be completed as scheduled.  Contact Lamont Houston for more specific information.  (715-524-2134 ext. 5414). 

This notice informs parents of the records the school district will develop and maintain as part of its child find activities.  This notice also informs parents of their rights regarding any records developed.

The school district gathers personally identifiable information on any child who participates in child find activities.  Parents, teachers, and other professionals provide information to the school related to the child’s academic performance, behavior, and health.  This information is used to determine whether the child needs special education services.  Personally identifiable information directly related to a child and maintained by the school is a pupil record. Pupil records include records maintained in any way including, but not limited to, computer storage media, video and audiotape, film, microfilm, and microfiche. Records maintained for personal use by a teacher and not available to others and records available only to persons involved in the psychological treatment of a child are not pupil records.

 The school district maintains several classes of pupil records.

• "Progress records" include grades, courses the child has taken, the child's attendance record, immunization records, required lead screening records, and records of school extra-curricular activities. Progress records must be maintained for at least five years after the child ceases to be enrolled.

• "Behavioral records" include such records as psychological tests, personality evaluations, records of conversations, written statements relating specifically to the pupil's behavior, tests relating specifically to achievement or measurement of ability, physical health records other than immunization and lead screening records, law enforcement officers' records, and other pupil records that are not "progress records." Law enforcement officers' records are maintained separately from other pupil records. Behavioral records may be maintained for no longer than one year after the child graduates or otherwise ceases to be enrolled, unless the parent specifies in writing that the records may be maintained for a longer period of time. The school district informs parents when pupil records are no longer needed to provide special education. At the request of the child's parents, the school district destroys the information that is no longer needed.

• "Directory data" includes the student's name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, photographs, degrees and awards received, and the name of the school most recently previously attended by the student.

• "Pupil physical health records" include basic health information about a pupil, including the pupil's immunization records, an emergency medical card, a log of first aid and medicine administered to the pupil, an athletic permit card, a record concerning the pupil's ability to participate in an education program, any required lead screening records, the results of any routine screening test, such as for hearing, vision or scoliosis, and any follow-up to the test, and any other basic health information, as determined by the state superintendent. Any pupil record relating to a pupil's physical health that is not a pupil physical health record is treated as a patient health care record under sections 146.81 to 146.84, Wisconsin Statutes. Any pupil record concerning HIV testing is treated as provided under section 252.15, Wisconsin Statutes.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and section 118.125, Wisconsin Statutes, afford parents and students over 18 years of age ("eligible students") the following rights with respect to education records:

• The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of receipt of the request. Parents or eligible students should submit to the school principal [or appropriate school official] a written request that identifies the records(s) they wish to inspect. The principal will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. The school district will comply with the request without unnecessary delay and before any meeting about an individualized education program, or any due process hearing, and in no case more than 45 days after the request has been made. If any record includes information on more than one child, the parents of those children have the right to inspect and review only the information about their child or to be informed of that specific information. Upon request, the school district will give a parent or eligible student a copy of the progress records and a copy of the behavioral records. Upon request, the school district will give the parent or eligible student a list of the types and locations of education records collected, maintained, or used by the district for special education. The school district will respond to reasonable requests for explanations and interpretations of the records. A representative of the parent may inspect and review the records.

• The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the parent or eligible student believes is inaccurate or misleading. Parents or eligible students may ask Shawano School District to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the school principal, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the district decides not to amend the record, the district will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and the right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.

• The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information in the student's education records, except to the extent that federal and state law authorize disclosure without consent. The exceptions are stated in 34 CFR 99.31, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act regulations; Sec. 9528, PL107-110, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001; and section 118.125(2)(a) to (m) and sub. (2m), Wisconsin Statutes. One exception that permits disclosure without consent is disclosures to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the district as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the school board; a person or company with whom the district has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); or a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Upon request, the district discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll. Also the district discloses "directory data" without consent, unless the parent notifies the district that it may not be released without prior parental consent.

• The right to file a complaint with the U. S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the District to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20202-4605.

Community Resource Guide

Volunteer Mentor Application

Special Education

Special education services in the Shawano School District will be based upon the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) which is both a legal principle and a set of legal requirements in IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). Each child has unique needs and will receive an individualized program of specialized instruction and support services.

Students should receive core instruction in the general education classroom WHENEVER POSSIBLE with as many accommodations, modifications, and other supports NECESSARY FOR THE PARTICULAR STUDENT. Students receiving their core instruction in the general education classroom will also receive interventions outside of this time with the special education teacher. This intervention time will focus on targeting specific skill deficiencies to close the achievement gap. The amount of time needed will be decided per individual student. 

Students who have needs that cannot be met in the general education environment will receive their core instruction in the resource room setting. Replacement curricular materials will be used that focus on “closing the achievement gap” and targeting the “Essential Common Core Standards”. Students receiving their core instruction in the resource room setting will receive additional interventions outside of this core instruction time. The amount of time needed will be decided per individual student need.

Social, emotional, and life skill needs that are not addressed through the general education environment will be explicitly taught in the resource room setting.  These needs will also be supported in both the general and special education environments.

TERMS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION

HOW TO CONDUCT FRIENDLY AND PRODUCTIVE IEP MEETINGS

Homeless Resources

The McKinney-Vento Act

The McKinney-Vento Act defines children and youth who are homeless (twenty-one years of age and younger) as Children and youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, and includes children and youth who are:

• Sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason (sometimes referred to as double-up);
• Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations;
• Living emergency or transitional shelters;
• Abandoned in hospitals; or
• Awaiting foster care placement.
• Children and youth who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designated for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.
• Children and youth who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings.
• Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are living in circumstances described above.

How To Help

If you are personally aware of or are acquainted with any children who may qualify according to the above criteria, the Shawano School District provides the following assurances to parents of homeless children:

• The local district staff person (liaison) for homeless children is Jodi Guenther, Special Education Coordinator.
  715-526-3194 Ext. 8501
  jguenter@shawanoschools.org.
• There shall be immediate enrollment and school participation, even if educational and medical records and proof of residency are not available.

504/Office of Civil Rights

No pupil shall be discriminated against because of age, color, disability, parental status, marital status, race, national origin, religion, sex or veteran status.  Parents who have a temporary or permanent disability may request the District to provide appropriate accommodations necessary for them to participate in essential instructional activities of their students.  Students who are at least eighteen (18) years of age may submit their own requests.

It is the policy of the School District to provide a free appropriate public education to each qualified student with a disability within its jurisdiction, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability. It is the intent of the district to ensure that students who are disabled within the definition of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are identified, evaluated and provided with appropriate educational services. Students may be disabled under this policy even though they do not require services pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.  This is under district policy 342.4.

 Under Section 504, due process rights of qualified students with disabilities and their parents are guaranteed in the Shawano School District.  Brandie Genske, Student Services Director is the District Coordinator of Section 504 for all schools in the Shawano School District.  She may be contacted at 1310 South Union Street, Shawano, WI  54166 or by phone 715-526-3194 ext. 8016.  School counselors are the school 504 Team chairpersons, and may be contacted at their respective buildings.

Speech Language Pathology

According to data collected by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center and reported in 2012, one in 12 children ages 3-17 has had a disorder related to voice, speech, language, or swallowing within a period of 12 months. More than half of them receive intervention.

Shawano School District has on staff 6 full-time speech/language pathologists. To practice as a speech/language pathologist, a master’s degree from a program accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation is required. A minimum of 400 hours of supervised clinical experience and a passing score on the Praxis exam is required prior to receiving their master’s degree. During the course of their first year on the ‘job’, they need to complete a year of supervised practice known as the Clinical Fellowship Year. Once this is completed they are awarded the Certificate of Clinical Competence also known as CCC’s.

Below are the major functions of the speech/language pathologist employed in an educational environment:

•  Attends meetings, such as faculty meetings, special education meetings, parent-teacher conferences.
• Serves on school and district committees.
• Collaborates with school personnel to best meet the needs of all students.
• Maintains records-data for program planning and decision making for students, submits reports, maintains confidentiality, completes reports for third party reimbursement.
• Adheres to established rules, regulations, laws, and appropriate ethical standards.
• Conducts speech and language screenings.
• Administers formal and informal (on-going and curriculum based) assessments, analyzes and interprets information to make recommendations regarding the need for speech/language services.
• Presents and explains data to the Individualized Education Program Team (IEP), develop/write the IEP, schedules yearly IEP meetings.
• Presents information to school personnel and parents about speech disorders.
• Supervises undergraduate interns.
• Plans and implements services to individual students and groups of students, chooses therapy materials to meet the needs, age, cultural differences and interests of individual students.
• Modifies therapeutic instructional approaches from data gathered during therapy.
• Uses a variety of equipment, materials, devices, and aids.
• Engages in continuing education and professional growth activities related to speech/language and education.
• The Role of the SLP in Schools

Speech/language pathologists work with a variety of students including but not limited to the following:

• Infants with feeding/swallowing difficulties
• Toddlers with delayed language development
• Preschoolers and school age children with articulation and phonological disorders, language delays, delayed pragmatic language skills
• Children with Autism
• Children with Traumatic Brain Injury
• Children with Cleft Palate
• Children with Down Syndrome
• Children with language processing disorders
• Individuals with stuttering
• Individuals with voice disorders
• Hearing impaired individuals
• Individuals who have a stroke, neurological disorders that affects speech, language, cognition, or swallowing