Special Services

Welcome to the Barre Unified Union School District (BUUSD) Special Services Department

The Barre Unified Union School District Special Services Department strives to meet the educational, social/emotional, and behavioral needs of all eligible children in grades Pre-K-12 through a variety of comprehensive programs.Students may require specialized instruction, modified curricula or accommodations in order to experience success in school and meet their individualized learning needs.

Students who require support services are often identified through an array of means including child find activities as mandated by federal law, referrals from parents, teachers, the medical community, and human service agencies.

In addition to the provision of services, our office serves as the liaison for numerous local, state, and federal programs that provide services to students including The McKinney Vento Act for the Education of Homeless Children, Interagency Coordination of Educational Stability for Students in Foster Care, School Psychologists, and Occupational and Physical Therapists.

Child Find Notice

The Barre Unified Union School District (BUUSD) is required by Federal law to locate, identify and evaluate all children with disabilities. The process of locating, identifying and evaluating children with disabilities is known as Child Find.

As the school district of residence, BUUSD has the responsibility to identify and provide services to any child with special needs who may require special education and related services in order to access and benefit from public education. If you have, or know of any BUUSD resident who has a child with a disability under the age of 21, or a child who attends a private school located in Barre City or Barre Town, please contact Stacy Anderson, Director of Special Services sandebsu@buusd.org or 76-5011.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

Director of Special Services
McKinney-Vento Homeless Coordinator
Best Interest Determination ("BID") Responsibilities
Stacy Anderson - sandebsu@buusd.org - 476-5011 x1019

Assistant Directors of Special Services
Annette Rhoades - arhoabsu@buusd.org - 476-5011 x1027
Jon Strazza - jstra bsu@buusd.org - 476-5011 x1037

Alternative Programs Administrator
Jason Derner - jdernbsu@buusd.org - 477-5030 x1055

Administrative Assistant to the Special Service Directors
Administrative Assistant to the District Homeless Liaison
Sue Cioffi - sciof bsu@buusd.org - 476-5011 x1014

Request for Contracted/Related Services Proposals

The Barre Unified Union School District is seeking proposals for contracted and related services for the 2020-21 school year. See our RFP here:

Request for Contracted/Related Services Proposals

Notices & Helpful Links

VT Agency of Education Special Education Family Resources

The VT Agency of Education provides a number of resources to help families make decisions about special education services for students who have disabilities and who are eligible for special education services under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Visit their website by clicking on the following link:

VT Agency of Education Family Resources

Rules and Regulations Governing Special Education in VT

Notice of Procedural Safeguards

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires schools to provide parents of a child with a disability with a notice containing a full explanation of the procedural safeguards available under the Act, as well as Vermont Agency of Education Special Education Rules. You can find that information by clicking on the following link:

Notice of Procedural Safeguards - Rights of Parents of Students with Disabilities

Vermont Family Network

Special Education Records Act

Notice to Barre Residents - Special Education Records Act

Please be advised that all special education records for those students formerly attending Spaulding High School, Barre City Elementary and Middle School, and Barre Town Middle and Elementary School who graduated, moved, or transferred in the 2011/12 school year will be destroyed on or about August 1 2019.

If you would like to receive your records, send a signed letter of request to Barre Unified Union School District, Special Services Office, 120 Ayers St., Barre VT 05641.

Section 504 Notice to Parents

Section 504 Notice to Parents of Children with Disabilities, and Parents with Children with Suspected Disabilities

Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and/or the Americans with Disabilities Act, a child who has a mental or physical impairment that is substantially limiting the child’s ability to perform a major life activity is protected from discrimination on the basis of disability. (Major life activities include such activities as: caring for one’s self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, learning, thinking, concentrating, eating, sleeping, reading, communicating). Among those protections is the availability of accommodations and services that are necessary to assure that the child is not excluded from participation in or denied the benefits under, any Barre public school program, facility or activity, solely on account of disability.

Whether or not your child is currently receiving a public education, if you believe that your child may have a disability, or if you have questions about this notice or the rights of students with disabilities and their parents under Section 504, or about referral, evaluation and/or planning procedures available to students who are protected by Section 504, please contact the person(s) identified below, or your child’s school principal.

The Barre Unified Union School District Non-Discrimination Coordinator is:

John Pandolfo
Superintendent
120 Ayers St., Barre, VT 05641
802-476-5011

Additional A.D.A. & Section 504 Resources

Overview of ADA, Early Childhood Special Education and Section 504

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. For more information on your rights under the ADA and Section 504, please read the following document:

Overview of ADA, Early Childhood Special Ed, and Section 504

Homeless / McKinney Vento Resources