Special Education Department

Amie Talarico

Director of Special Education
talaricoa@ltsd.org

Kelly Carey

Certified School Psychologist
careyk@ltsd.org

Brink Powell

Special Education Department Secretary
powellb@ltsd.org

Diane Kilmer

Medical Access Billing Secretary
kilmerd@ltsd.org

Meeting Protocol for Inclement Weather

Early Dismissal – Meetings scheduled for before the dismissal will be held as scheduled.  Meetings scheduled after the dismissal will be rescheduled by the case manager.

Two or Three Hour Delay – Meetings scheduled for before the delay start time will be rescheduled by the case manager.  Meetings scheduled after the delay start time will be held as scheduled.

Traditional Snow Days – All meetings whether in person, virtual, or phone conference are canceled.  Case managers will be in touch with the family to reschedule.

Flexible Instructional Days Meetings will take place as scheduled.  In person meetings will be changed to virtual meetings.  If the family is unable to participate virtually they should contact their child’s case manager to reschedule.

Advanced Notice Virtual Instruction Days Meetings will take place as scheduled.  In person meetings will be changed to virtual meetings.   If the family is unable to participate virtually they should contact their child’s case manager to reschedule.

Attention Trail Families

The Bureau of Special Education is conducting Cyclical Monitoring at the Lackawanna Trail School District. If you are a parent with a student who has an IEP,  you will receive information about a parent survey through your child’s case manager. The letter is also here on the LTSD Facebook page and our website. Please use the link to fill out the survey if you have a student with an IEP. Feel free to contact the Special Education Office if you need assistance @ 570-945-5184 and Dial 1 for special education.

Please review this letter for important information about health insurance eligibility for your children.  “As of April 1, 2023, DHS must end MA and/or CHIP coverage if a person does not complete their renewal or if they have income or other changes that make them ineligible for MA or CHIP at the time of their renewal.”

Medical Access Renewal Information

ACT 55 of 2022

On July 8, 2022, Governor Tom Wolf signed Act 55 of 2022 into law.

This Act permits the following for the 2022-23 school year:

A student with a disability who was enrolled during the 2021-22 school year and turned age 21 (either during the 2021-22 school year or between the end of the 2021-22 and the beginning of the 2022-23 school year) may attend a school entity during the 2022-23 school year and receive services as outlined in their most recent Individualized Education Program (IEP) with all the protections under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

To qualify for an additional year, a student had to be enrolled in one of the following school entities in Pennsylvania during the 2021-22 school year: a school district, intermediate unit, area career and technical school, charter school, cyber charter school, regional charter school, approved private school, or chartered school for the education of the deaf and blind.

Parents/guardians and students interested in the above option for the 2022-23 school year must submit this Act 55 of 2022 Student Enrollment Notification Form to the school entity that the student will attend in the 2022-23 school year on or before August 1, 2022. Do not submit the form to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE).