Special Services

Transition Room students smiling while working on an assignment.

Serving students with disabilities and special needs, as well as their families

Special Services department
The Special Services department is comprised of three specific areas that support students: special education, 504 and Health Services. The focus of the department is to provide students with disabilities or health-related challenges the tools and resources to benefit from their educational program.

Special education
Lake Washington's journey to inclusion: Read Executive Director of Special Services, Dr. Shannon Hitch's full inclusion statement plus inclusion videos and FAQ.Special education is not a “place,” rather, it is a set of services. The district’s goal is to partner with families regarding the individual needs of children. The Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the federal legislation that helps guide school teams and families in the qualification of students and the development of Individualized Education Programs (IEP). LWSD has a continuum of services to meet the needs of our diverse student population:

  • General education
  • Special education services
  • Intervention centers
  • Preschool services
  • Transition Academies

Services are provided to students based on their Individualized Education Program (IEP). The IEP is developed based on evaluation results and in collaboration with both educators and parents/guardians.

Parent engagement

We often have opportunities that come up throughout the school year where we seek parent input. If you are interested in participating in any of these opportunities, please complete an interest form.

More information


Contact us

Dr. Shannon Hitch
Executive Director, Special Services
shhitch@lwsd.org
425-936-1201

Debbie Wagner
Director, Special Services
Juanita and Lake Washington Learning Communities - Elementary
dewagner@lwsd.org
425-936-1247

Dr. Natalie Pullen
Director, Special Services
Juanita and Lake Washington Learning Communities - Secondary
npullen@lwsd.org
425-936-1221

Craig Mott
Director, Special Services
Redmond and Eastlake Learning Communities - Elementary
cmott@lwsd.org
425-936-1337

Erin Romanuk
Director, Special Services
Redmond and Eastlake Learning Communities - Secondary
eromanuk@lwsd.org
425-936-1288

Kim Brenner
Director, Early Childhood Learning
kbrenner@lwsd.org
425-936-2766

Shelley O'Rourke
Health Services Supervisor
sorourke@lwsd.org
425-936-1519

Special Education Student Records
sscomplianceoffice@lwsd.org