Shallots sizzle in the pan while tomatoes are chopped. The middle school cooking battle begins. Students from the middle schools in Lake Washington School District competed for culinary supremacy.
Special Services

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
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.
Procedural Safeguards: Parent and Student Rights
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires schools to provide parents/guardians of students who are eligible or referred for special education with a full explanation of their rights. School districts must provide a copy of the Procedural Safeguards (Español) at least once each school year, or when the parent/guardian or others, including the district, request that a student be evaluated to determine eligibility for special education services; the first time you file a citizen complaint in a school year; the first time you request a due process hearing in a school year; when a decision is made to remove a student for more than 10 school days in a year as part of a disciplinary action and that removal constitutes a change of placement; or upon request.
Section 504 Services
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (“Section 504”) is a federal civil rights law. It is designed to eliminate disability discrimination in programs and activities that receive federal funds. Since all public school districts receive federal funds, all public school districts must comply with Section 504. Under Section 504, denying a disabled student a free appropriate public education (“FAPE”) is disability discrimination.
Health Services
Health services in LWSD are designed to ensure schools have the resources and systems to provide students with the health-related care needed to access school. Duties of Health Services include medication management, health care collaboration, monitoring of life-threatening emergency care plans, and general oversight of student medical related needs.
Programs and Services
The Lake Washington School District offers a continuum of service and placement options for students qualified for Special Education. The district’s goal is for children to be educated in their neighborhood school and in the general education setting to the greatest extent possible. The district believes there is inherent benefit for qualified and non-qualified students to learn with their community peers. At times students are placed in programs that may not be located at their neighborhood school.
Continuum of Services and Placement Options:
- General Education Class Instruction
- Resource Settings
- Learning and Transition Centers
- Intervention Centers
- Transition Academy
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.
District Program Locations
- District Learning Center Sites
- District Transition Center Sites
- Preschool Sites
- District Intervention Center Sites
District Learning Center Sites
Preschool Learning Centers
Learning Centers K-5
- Dickinson Elementary - K-3 & 3-5 (Redmond)
- Frost Elementary - K-1 & 2-5 (Kirkland)
- Keller Elementary - K-3 & 3-5 (Kirkland)
- Franklin Elementary - K-3 & 3-5 (Kirkland)
- Mann Elementary - K-3 & 3-5 (Redmond)
- McAuliffe Elementary - K-2 & 3-5 (Sammamish)
- Rosa Parks Elementary - K-3 (Redmond)
- Twain Elementary - K-5 & 3-5 (Kirkland)
District Transition Center Sites
Preschool Sites
District Intervention Center Sites
OSPI's Washington Integrated System of Monitoring Onsite Visit
Special Services Program Review:
Contact Us
Dr. Shannon Hitch
Director, Special Services
shhitch@lwsd.org
425-936-1201
Jan Bakken
Associate Director, Special Services
Redmond Learning Community
jbakken@lwsd.org
425-936-1288
Stacey McCrath
Associate Director, Special Services
Eastlake Learning Community
smccrath@lwsd.org
425-936-1337
Paul Vine
Associate Director, Special Services
Juanita Learning Community
pvine@lwsd.org
425-936-1221
Debbie Wagner
Associate Director, Special Services
Lake Washington Learning Community
dewagner@lwsd.org
425-936-1247
Molly Houtchens
Health Services Supervisor
mhoutchens@lwsd.org
425-936-1242