Special Education

Welcome to the Neah-Kah-Nie School District’s special education page.

Child Find:
School districts must identify, locate and evaluate all resident children with disabilities, regardless of the severity of the disability, who are in need of early intervention, early childhood special education, or special education services, including:

• Highly mobile children with disabilities (such as migrant and homeless children)
• Children who are wards of the state
• Indian preschool children who reside on reservations
• Children who are suspected of having a disability even though they are advancing from grade to grade
• Children enrolled in public charter schools
• Children who are home schooled
• Children below the age of compulsory school attendance who are not enrolled in a public or private school program; and
• Children above the age of compulsory school attendance who have not graduated with a regular high school diploma

Child Find Activities:

Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education services (EI/ECSE) 

For developmental concerns with children birth to five years of age, please contact the Tillamook County Northwest Regional Education Service District (NWRESD) center at 503-842-8423 to make a referral for a free screening or evaluation. Children are made eligible for early intervention (0-3 years) or early childhood special education (3-5 years) based on guidelines provided by the Oregon Department of Education.

The Neah-Kah-Nie School District supports the annual preschool multi-modular exams sponsored by the Tillamook Regional Medical Center by volunteering and disseminating information to district families through elementary newsletters, flyers, the district website, and/or the district Facebook page.  This is a free exam for 3-5 year olds typically screening in the areas of development, behavior, speech, hearing, vision, health, and nutrition. Results are shared with the local NWRESD to assist with child find.

School-Age

Our elementary schools each have a CARE team which meets at least one time monthly to monitor the progress of and guide program planning for students referred from grade level teacher teams for academic and behavior concerns.  Our middle and high schools each have student assistance teams that play this role.  Referrals for special education evaluations may be recommended by these teams.  If a parent has a concern, they may contact the school’s special education teacher to request a meeting to review current information to determine whether a special education evaluation is appropriate.

Homeschool Students

Through information shared from the NWRESD, prior enrollment, and/or parent referral, the district may be notified that a student with a disability is being home schooled.  The district will provide written notice that it stands ready to provide special education and related services if the child is re-enrolled in the district and offer an IEP meeting to consider special education and related services in conjunction with homeschooling.  If a student being homeschooled is not eligible for special education services but is suspected of having a disability, the parent may contact Ericka Keefauver, Special Student Services Director at 503-355-3544 to schedule a team meeting to request a special education evaluation.

Private School Students

The Neah-Kah-Nie School District is the responsible agency for implementing IDEA requirements for parentally placed children with disabilities in private schools located within its district boundaries. The Special Student Services Director works collaboratively with the local private school in its district boundaries to determine if students with disabilities are enrolled.  If so, an IEP meeting is offered to consider special education and related services in conjunction with private school. If a student enrolled in a private school within the district’s boundaries is not eligible for special education services but is suspected of having a disability, the parent may contact Ericka Keefauver, Special Student Services Director at 503-355-3544 to schedule a team meeting to request a special education evaluation.

Response to Intervention (RtI) » Evaluation » Eligibility:
Neah-Kah-Nie School District utilizes a combination of “Patterns of Strengths and Weaknesses and Response to Intervention” to determine eligibility for special education services.

Parent Participation in pre-referral, referral and evaluation process is essential to developing the best educational program for all of our students whether or not they are eligible for special education and related services.

Notice of Procedural Safeguards:
School districts must give parents a copy of the Notice of Procedural Safeguards at a minimum only one time per year, except that a copy must be given to the parents:

• Upon initial referral or parent request for evaluation
• Upon request by a parent; and
• Also to the child, at least a year before the child’s 18th birthday

Notice of Procedural Safeguards is sent to all eligible Neah-Kah-Nie students one time per school year through the mail and are offered at each IEP meeting.  At any time, a copy of the most current procedural safeguards may be requested by contacting any school’s special education teacher, the district special education secretary, Karen Wheeler, at 503-355-3516, or by clicking a link below:

For additional reports, see links below:

If you have or know of a student that may need special education or related services, please contact Special Student Services Director, Ericka Keefauver, at (503)355-3544 or erickak@nknsd.org.

Special Education Teachers