Special Education Services foster inclusive educational climates where individuality and diversity are respected, honored and celebrated. We strive to partner with our students and parents in designing the most exciting learning environments for the academic, social and emotional success of each student - where all teachers and staff design curriculum that is universally accessible for all students in alignment with our community’s educational values and the District's Promise.

Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) provides support to students with identified disabilities. As professional educators, whether our role is in general education, special education, or administration, we believe it is our collective responsibility to support students who receive special education programs and services to meet the District standards and their individualized education plans.

Special Education is specialized instruction provided for children from birth to age 22 who qualify according to the laws and regulations outlined by the state and federal government.

Special Education Handbook | Guía de Educación Especial

Eligibility

Eligibility is determined by the Student Success Team (SST) formerly Student Study Team, a positive school-wide early identification and early intervention process. Working as a team, the student, parent, teachers and school administrator identify the student's strengths and assets upon which an improvement plan can be designed. Concerns are seen as obstacles to student success and not descriptors of the student or his character. As a regular school process, the Student Success Team (SST) intervenes with school and community support and a practical improvement plan that all team members agree to follow. Follow-up meetings are planned to provide a continuous casework management strategy to maximize the student's achievement and school experience.

Special Education Records Request

All requests for records for students who were served in special education at the Palo Alto Unified School District should be sent to Sakura Oh or faxed to (650) 833-4265. All requests must be in writing. The District, by law, must respond to parent requests for records within five business days. If a request is received after school hours, the date of the request will be the next business day.

New To The District?

When registering at PAUSD, please provide a copy of your students Individualized Education Program (IEP), which will assist us in placing your student.

Parent Resources

Elementary Education 
Jennifer Baker, Ph.D., Interim Director of Special Education, Elementary - jbaker@pausd.org
Brooke Crosby, Special Education Coordinator II, Elementary - bcrosby@pausd.org
Megan Hsu, Program Specialist- mhsu@pausd.org
Kristin Bellamy-Lloyd, Program Specialist- kbellamylloyd@pausd.org

Secondary Education 
Cynthia Loleng-Perez, Director of Special Education, Secondary- clolengperez@pausd.org
Victoria Luke, Ed. D., Special Education Coordinator II - Non-Public Schools- vluke@pausd.org
Robert Whalen, Special Education Coordinator II, Secondary- rwhalen@pausd.org
Laurie Garcia, Program Specialist- lagarcia@pausd.org
Tijen Sumbul, Program Specialist- csumbul@pausd.org
Jacqueline Selfridge, Program Specialist- jselfridge@pausd.org

District Support

Wendy Goodridge, LMFT, Manager Mental Health Services- wgoodridge@pausd.org

If you have questions about Special Education programs or would like to request a review for assessment, contact Special Education at (650) 833-4257 or infospecial-ed@pausd.org. 

Special Education Information and Brochures