Suburban Schools' Program for Students Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

History

The Suburban Schools’ Program was started as a cooperative arrangement between Ralston Public Schools, Millard Public Schools, and Papillion-LaVista Community Schools to address the needs of school-age students with hearing loss. The program expanded in 2007 to provide services to students birth to 5 years of age. The program has grown to include itinerant teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing to provide services to students in their neighborhood schools. Currently, Suburban Schools’ Program provides services to students in numerous school districts through contracts with their resident district.

Services Provided by

Suburban Schools' Program

Itinerant Services

Suburban Schools’ Program offers itinerant teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing services to provide consultation and direct service to those students whose I.E.P teams have deemed need of services. These services are available for students from birth to graduation in their neighborhood schools.

Center-based Services

Suburban Schools’ Program offers center-based services for those students who I.E.P teams have deemed in need of intensive services from a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing and the opportunity to socialize and have direct communication with other students with hearing loss. The services are provided in the Ralston Public Schools’ from preschool through graduation. Students in the center-based sites can also receive speech-language services from a speech-language pathologist specializing in working with students with hearing loss who is able to have direct communication with the students. Educational interpreters are also available to the student.

Educational Interpreting Services

Suburban Schools’ Program offers educational interpreters to provide interpreting services for students whose I.E.P teams have deemed in need of sign language to access instruction and extra-curricular activities. This service is available to maintain the student in their neighborhood school.

Important Links for Families

Funding Tool Kit

Funding Tool KitThis site provides some resources for finding funding assistance for children in Nebraska who are deaf or hard of hearing to have access to medical care, technology, and resources.

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Nebraska Regional Programs

This website provides information on the state plan and resources for families.

Nebraska Regional Programs for Students Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

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Metro Regional Program

Metro Regional ProgramThe Metro Regional Program (MRP) is a program funded by the Nebraska Dept. of Education Office of Special Populations. The MRP's mission is to support and enhance the educational opportunities provided by school districts. To this extent the MRP provides activities for students, professional development for teachers and interpreters, a lending library for parents and professionals, community sign language classes, and parent and professional workshops.

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Mission Statement

It is the mission of the Suburban Schools’ Program to provide students who are deaf and hard of hearing access to instruction and social interactions in both academic and nonacademic settings. Access is achieved through highly qualified educators of the deaf and hard of hearing, a speech-language pathologist who can communicate directly with the students, and educational interpreters/transliterators working with students and educational teams to develop appropriate Individualized Education Programs (I.E.P.) designed to meet each student’s unique needs.

Suburban Schools' Program Brochure

suburban brochure 17-18.pdf 3.68 MB (Last Modified on April 21, 2018)

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My child has a mild hearing loss. Does she or he have to attend a center-based program?
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Great question. Each child is unique in the impact that a hearing loss has on his or her access to language and learning. Children with milder degrees of loss can be provided educational service from an itinerant or traveling teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing. The level of service and where the service is provided is decided by the child's Individual Education Plan (IEP) team of which the parents are a member.

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How can I tour the program?
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Please contact the director to arrange a visit.

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What type of curriculum is used in the program?
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We use a combination of the general education curriculum and specialized curriculum and instructional strategies developed to address the unique learning needs of students who present with a hearing loss. For example we use Foundations for Literacy with our preschool and early elementary students to help develop their basic reading skills. We also use Visual Phonics as a strategy to help students learn to decode and spell words. The specific curriculum utilized varies by each child depending on the unique needs of the child.

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How can my child attend Suburban Schools' Program?
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Students are placed in the center-based program in the Ralston School district through a contract with their resident district based on the educational needs identified by the student's IEP goals and objectives.

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