Please contact us if we can be of assistance:

SPECIAL EDUCATION TEAM

Kim Harmon
Special Education, RISE – A Place Called Home
kharmon@davincischools.org

Frankee Grove
Special Education, RISE – Richstone
fgrove@davincischools.org

MENTAL HEALTH TEAM

Charlotte Weise
RISE – A Place Called Home
cweise@davincischools.org

Ravenna Smith
RISE – Richstone
rsmith@davinischools.org

BEHAVIORIST TEAM

Scott James
RISE – A Place Called Home & Richstone
sjames@davincischools.org

Anthony Gay
RISE – New Earth
agay@davincischools.org

Mental Health Team

Roles

  • Case Managers
  • School Counselor
  • Coordinator of Services & Partnerships
  • Psychologist
  • Behavior Interventionists

Supports Provided

  • Restorative Justice
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Referrals
  • Case management
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Solution focused therapy
  • Trauma informed staff
  • Training staff in supportive practices
  • Special education services
  • Academic Counseling
  • Family support
  • Community Partnerships
  • PBIS
  • Student Internships
  • Job training
  • Behavior Intervention & Support

Vision/Mission

The Student & Community Support Services Department serves the RISE High community in the areas of student services, special education, and health services. The schools plan, organize, administer and provide leadership for these critical programs. The Student Services Department is responsible for the operative coordination, delivery, evaluation, and refinement of student services at each of the Da Vinci RISE High programs. Specific programming within the Student Services Department includes, but is not limited to, special education, school-based mental health services, Section 504, health services, community outreach and attendance, and student behavior intervention.

Special Education

RISE High is committed to serving the educational needs of each of its students. Students learn in a variety of ways and most of our students learn effectively in a traditional instructional setting. However, sometimes students may require additional assistance and support.

The reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 2004 was viewed by Congress as an opportunity to review, strengthen, and improve IDEA 97 to better educate children with disabilities and enable them to achieve a quality education in the least restrictive environment (LRE). One of the ways Congress sought to achieve this was by ensuring access to the general education curriculum and providing students with appropriate interventions before special education is considered. The new emphasis on participation in the general education curriculum is intended to first consider interventions, accommodations and adjustments necessary for students to access the general education curriculum in LRE.

Each school site has a Student Success Team (SST) of trained professionals who review concerns about individual students. The SST serves as a general education problem-solving process and is a forum to support classroom teachers in their effort to provide quality classroom experiences for all of their students. The SST is a general education process that is neither a function of special education nor an automatic process for referral and/or assessment for special education services. Those students who have been assessed and identified as having a disability may be eligible to receive special education services through an Individual Education Program (IEP). These services are designed to meet the student’s individual educational needs.

How do I know if a student may need special education services?
Your student may have difficulties that interfere with his/her ability to go to school or to learn. These difficulties may be in one of the following general areas.

>> READ MORE

Section 504 Americans with Disabilities Act

Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, students with disabilities have the right to receive a free appropriate public education, which includes the right to be educated with students without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate. Furthermore, students with disabilities have the right to take part in, and receive benefits from, public education programs without discrimination or harassment based on those disabilities. The purpose of this notice is to describe the procedural safeguards provided to the parents/guardians of students with disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The intent of the law is to keep parents fully informed concerning RISE High’s decisions to identify, evaluate, and/or make accommodations for their children. Parents/guardians of a student with disabilities, have the right to:

  • Receive written notice of RISE High’s intent to identify, evaluate, and/or to provide a Section 504 Plan for their child.
  • Review all relevant records regarding their child and obtain copies of those records at reasonable cost.
  • Appeal/disagree with RISE High’s decision(s) with regard to the identification, evaluation, or Section 504 Plan accommodations of students under Section 504 or file a complaint concerning allegations of a violation of Section 504 policy/procedures or disability-based discrimination/ harassment.
  • Request an impartial hearing if they disagree with their child’s identification, evaluation, or Section 504 Plan, with opportunity for participation in the hearing and representation by an attorney at the parents’/guardians’ expense.
  • Review the decision of the impartial hearing officer.

If you have any questions concerning Section 504, need assistance in filing an appeal of a RISE High’s decision(s) or in filing a complaint regarding your child, or to request an impartial hearing, please contact Erin Whalen at ewhalen@davincischools.org.