Programs/Services

The Adapted Physical Education (APE) department provides developmentally appropriate physical education to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities (K-12). Students who are not able to succeed within a general education PE class must be evaluated by an APE instructor to determine the student's individual needs. APE is offered to students with gross motor delays or other disability-related difficulties that make them unable to participate productively in a regular physical education class. The APE department is based out of Oakland Meadow School but serves more than 1,800 elementary, middle, and high school students across Gwinnett County's 19 clusters.

Audiological services are provided to assess and determine the degree and type of hearing impairment. Audiologists assist with determining the educational significance of an identified hearing loss. GCPS provides audiological support through a site-based diagnostic clinic housed at OMS as well as itinerantly at each of GCPS 132 schools. Diagnostic evaluations are available at Oakland Meadow School to determine and/or monitor hearing sensitivity for any of GCPS 179,000 students. Audiologists provide follow up testing, within local schools, for approximately 1000 GCPS students each year who did not pass a hearing screening. Audiologists also provide Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT) support for students at their local school who have been identified as Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DHH). This support includes selecting and fitting Hearing Assistive Technology, training staff within the student's school, and working collaboratively with the DHH teacher. Currently, approximately 258 students in either special education classes or mainstream general education classes are receiving this type of consultative service.

The Deaf/Hard of Hearing (D/HH) site-based and itinerant programs serve Gwinnett County students (P-12) who are found eligible for the D/HH program. To meet eligibility requirements, students must have a hearing loss that interferes with the acquisition of auditory skills necessary for the normal development of speech, language, and academic achievement. Based on students’ individual needs identified in their Individualized Education Program (IEP), D/HH teachers support students in their least restrictive environment by providing direct or consultative services, which include: providing students with academic support in one-on-one or small group settings, serving as a liaison between students and staff in efforts of teaching students to self-advocate, consulting with teachers and staff in regards to students’ auditory needs, providing in-services to staff on hearing assistive technology (HAT), and teaching students how to properly care for their personal amplification and/or HAT.

Homebased is the most restrictive placement on the continuum of special education services. The Homebased Department monitors and schedules the instruction of students for whom the IEP Team determines instruction should be provided in the home, at a public library, or within an alternate non-school based facility. Typically, home-based instruction is provided for students who have been found in violation of school rules at a disciplinary panel and have been separated from the local school as a consequence.

The Hospital/Homebound Program is designed to serve students (K-12) who, due to a medical diagnosis, are unable to attend school for a regular academic day for ten days or longer. The homebound instructional model includes direct instruction within the home or hospital, Teleclass (high school only), and may include online classes. Homebound instruction is available for all Gwinnett County Public Schools' students who meet eligibility requirements. The referral process begins at the local school and requires a recommendation made by a licensed physician. 

Students from across Gwinnett County Public Schools who are significantly medically fragile and meet eligibility for the  SID/PID Program attend Oakland Meadow School. The program supports students from pre-k to age 22 in a state-of-the-art building designed to meet the medical and physical needs of the students. Students within this program are assessed on the GAA 2.0 and are exposed to all content areas. Materials and equipment are tailored to each individual. Assistive technology is used within the classrooms to support student engagement. Students in the SID/PID Transition Program have completed four years in a local high school and obtained 23 Carnegie Units. The SID/PID Transition Program specifically targets each student's Transition Plan and helps to prepare students to exit the school system and transition to life in their community.

The Orthopedic Impairment Program supports students with physical or health disabilities within the least restrictive environment.  An OI itinerant teacher provides consultative, direct, or dual services to students at their local schools and collaborates with the staff regarding the nature of the student's physical or health disability.  The OI itinerant teacher provides suggestions for accommodations needed for students to access the curriculum and the school environment.  OI itinerant teachers also address self-advocacy or self-determination skills during direct instruction with their students.  

The Pre-k Arena team consists of a team of professionals who as a team assess young children to determine if they are eligible for special education Pre-K. This team is one of five in the district supported by the Special Education Department and housed at Oakland Meadow School.

The Gwinnett County Special Olympics Office (GCSO) is a nonprofit program of sports training and competition for individuals with intellectual disabilities who reside in Gwinnett County. GCSO is an affiliate of the Special Olympics Georgia, however, it is a self-sustaining local agency supporting more than 2000 student-athletes who reside in Gwinnett County (pre-k through age 22). The GCSO is made up of volunteers including teachers, parents, and community members. Lynnette Swanson serves as the Gwinnett County Local Special Olympic Coordinator and oversees GCPS involvement in the School-Based Events, Developmental Days, After School Programs, Area Games, State Games.

Oakland Meadow Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) work as part of multi-disciplinary teams to address the speech, language, fluency, voice and augmentative and alternative communication needs of students, ranging in age from three to twenty-one, who meet State Department of Education eligibility guidelines for Speech-Language Impaired services.  The role of the SLP includes evaluating, providing dual and direct speech services, assisting with feeding plans, creating visuals and adapted materials, coordinating the assistive technology process for students requiring technology for access and/or communication, and providing support to staff and families. SLPs collaborate with IEP teams to create goals and objectives to address identified communication needs and then work to collect and analyze data in order to differentiate instruction for each student. Whether guiding a student to produce a specific speech sound, to supporting a student in learning to use an augmentative and alternative communication device, Oakland Meadow SLPs are focused on assuring all students are working towards communicating to their full potential!

The Teleclass Program is a component of the GCPS Hospital/Homebound Department. High school students who are unable to attend school for a minimum of 10 consecutive days, due to a medical condition, illness or accident, are eligible to receive instruction through the Teleclass delivery model. The Teleclass Program enables general education high school students to receive instruction through Zoom. The Teleclass Program utilizes synchronous online teaching and does not send teachers into the home. Each Teleclass course meets two to three times a week for 45-60 minutes. The Teleclass instructors are highly qualified certified teachers for the particular subject being taught and have classroom experience presenting the material. Instruction addresses the Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) and follows the GCPS Instructional Calendars. Courses focus on core content classes including 9th-12th grade Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, and Math.

The Therapeutic Day Program at Oakland Meadow School provides comprehensive educational and therapeutic support services to students who exhibit intense social, emotional and/or behavioral challenges with severity, frequency or duration such that the provision of education and related services in the general education environment has not enabled him or her to benefit educationally based on the IEP.  These students’ behaviors may include but are not limited to, significant, aggressive, self-destructive, atypical, and withdrawal behaviors. Students in the Therapeutic Day Program are taught coping skills, behavior regulation, and adaptive skills, with a keen focus on developing positive interpersonal relationships with others. Services provided in the Therapeutic Day Program are implemented with greater intensity and frequency than what is typically delivered in a general education school environment. This program serves students from Gwinnett County elementary schools.

This itinerant department is responsible for the vision and hearing screenings of Gwinnett County students at all schools in GCPS. Students are referred for a vision/hearing screening by either the Student Support Team or Special Education Case manager at their local school. Any student that fails any part of the vision-hearing screening is referred for further evaluation. These technicians also work annually with each elementary school to conduct "mass screenings" for all GCPS third grade students. Each school year more than 24,000 GCPS students receive a vision/hearing screening.

An itinerant teacher of students with visual impairments (TVI) supports students within the student’s least restrictive environment. The TVI provides services for students with visual impairments which include the following: assessing students to assure accommodations are appropriate to access instruction; assisting with interpretation and implication of medical eye reports; creating/obtaining adapted materials including braille; large print; and identifying assistive technology required in order to access instructional materials. Direct instruction is provided within the expanded core curriculum to include self-determination skills; compensatory skills; orientation and mobility; social interaction skills; independent living skills; recreation and leisure skills; career education; sensory efficiency; and use of assistive technology devices. When appropriate, students are also evaluated by an orientation and mobility instructor. The related service of orientation and mobility is provided to ensure safe and independent travel on campus and within community settings.