Special Programs

Special Education Director
Valerie Bailey
662-241-7160

Thank you for visiting our department's webpage and thank you for your interest in our programs and services. Columbus Municipal School District (CMSD) is committed to providing a free and appropriate public education to each student who might need services. Our program is governed by the Individuals with Disability Education Act of 2004 (IDEA), by Mississippi State Board Policy 74.19 - Policies and Procedures for Students with Disabilities, and by our local CMSD school board policies.

IDEA and SBP 74.19 require the district to be involved in ongoing efforts to identify, locate and evaluate students who may have disabilities. This process is known as Child Find. For students determined to be eligible for special education and related services our primary goal is to provide free and appropriate services in the child's least restrictive environment (LRE). Child Find efforts will extend to youth who are residents of other Mississippi school districts who become detainees at the Lowndes County Juvenile Detention Center.

Special education services provided to our students are based on individual needs of a student and on the recommendation of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team. Parents are members of the IEP Team. Likewise parents are involved in and must consent (in writing) to allow their child to be evaluated and placed in special education if the child is found to be eligible.

Columbus Municipal School District provides a continuum of programs and support services for students with special needs who are between the ages of three through twenty. There are special services programs at every school in the district and an array of services.

Regarding Child Find, we want you to know that we identify from birth but begin to provide direct services when an eligible child reaches age three (3). These services are provided according to the primary educational needs of the child. They are based on the category of disability.

Child Find Poster (PDF) 

Questions and Answers for Parents during COVID-19 School Closures

Staff

  • Assistant Special Education Director - Wendy Kelly

  • Administrative Assistant - Tenika Weatherspoon

  • Behavior Specialist - Reginald Gandy

  • Behavior Specialist - Jacqueline McMath

  • Case Manager - Latoya Jones-Holliness

  • Psychometrist - Rasheedah Bankhead