Student Support & Special Services
(586) 797-1020
ucsspecialservices@uticak12.org

Our goal is to provide information to our families and community concerning the special education process. The Office of Student Support & Special Services strives to focus on our student’s strengths to help them achieve their highest potential. UCS is committed to providing students with barriers to learning, a free and appropriate education consistent with federal and state laws. Students are eligible through our evaluation process for having an identified disability according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Michigan Administrative Rules of Special Education (MARSE). 

Disabilities that are evaluated include:

• Cognitive Impairment
• Emotional Impairment
• Deaf or Hard of Hearing
• Visual Impairment
• Physical Impairment
• Otherwise Health Impairment
• Speech and Language Impairment
• Early Childhood Developmental Delay
• Special Learning Disability (including dyslexia)
• Severe Multiple Impairment
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Deaf-Blindness

An integral part of the Office of Student Support & Special Services is to provide evaluation services for all students suspected of having a disability. Free evaluation Child Find services are conducted by a team of educational specialists. If you have concerns about your child’s educational development in school, please contact us at (586) 797-1020 for further information to refer a student.

Utica Community Schools offers a broad continuum of programs and services that are available to our students. These programs are designed to meet the individual needs of eligible student’s ages 0-26 years old. Families with students nearing post-secondary age can follow this link for information on transition services for their student.
Parents of high school special education students please follow this link for more information on the use of the Personal Curriculum. Services for children ages 0 to 3 years of age are provided in collaboration with the Macomb Intermediate School District (MISD) through the Child Find process. Please call the MISD Infant Preschool Program at (586) 228-3321 for information on these early services.

At UCS, emphasis is placed on educating students in their neighborhood schools to the maximum extent appropriate. However, all educational decisions about programs and services for students must be based on each student’s needs by the Individual Educational Planning (IEP) team. Parental involvement in these decisions is critical. Specialized programs for some students are offered at identified school buildings. In addition, some students may benefit from specialized programs offered in collaboration with the MISD or other cooperating local school districts.

Ancillary services such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, school social work, school psychology, orientation and mobility, and various specialized teacher consultant services, are provided based on each student’s IEP.