All Really Does Mean All!

When the school bell rings in the Warsaw Community, it rings for ALL students. This includes students with disabilities, students for whom English is not their first (native) language, students of all racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds and students who are new to our country. All really does mean all.

Over the course of the past thirty-four years, there have been different federal and state laws enacted that provide guidance on how public schools must respond to all children who enter through the school house door. As a school community we have worked diligently to meet our obligations under the federal and state mandates and respond to the individual needs and challenges of our students. In doing so, Warsaw Community Schools has embraced “diversity of learners” as an overarching value for the corporation. While we value and celebrate the diversity of our students, we also recognize the great challenge and responsibility that we have been given. The way in which we meet this challenge is through providing all students with the same or similar opportunities, while treating them as individuals.

One of the cornerstones to educating students with disabilities is individualization. Indiana recognizes thirteen different types of educational disabilities. These students are challenged differently by their special needs, but they also bring abilities, talents and skills to the classroom. They may learn differently, or learn at a different pace, or require specialized materials or equipment to minimize the disabling condition and allow them to learn. Educators and parents work together to develop an individual education plan (IEP) for each student with a disability. This plan outlines the instructional strategies and specialized services that the student will need in order to receive an appropriate education.

Eighty-two percent (82%) of students with special needs spend the majority of their school week (over 80%) in general education classrooms, working toward achievement of the Indiana Academic Standards. This means that our classroom teachers, special education teachers and other specialized staff work together to help all learners participate in the exciting learning opportunities that our general classrooms provide.  

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