Celebrating 50 Years Of Special Education In Iron County Schools

Today, December 2nd, marks Special Education Day, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). On the Big Picture Morning Show on KSUB radio, Iron County School District Special Programs Executive Director Kevin Garrett and Special Education Director Nathan Jenkins reflected on the milestone and discussed how special education services continue to evolve locally.

Garrett - Jenkins in studio / Dr. T

Jenkins opened the conversation by noting the significance of the date. “Today is Special Education Day. It’s actually a really big day for special education. It marks the exact day for 50 years since IDEA was signed into law. And so it’s a pretty big day for special education,” he said.

Garrett explained that special education in Iron County encompasses a wide range of ages and needs. “We serve students pre-K to 22 years old,” he said. “We’re close to 1200 students that we serve that are on IEPs in the school district.” Those needs range “from severe disabilities to learning disabilities and things like that,” he added.

IEP's Fall Into 13 Categories

For listeners unfamiliar with the terminology, Jenkins described the Individualized Education Program, or IEP, as “a plan that’s tailored exactly to meet the needs of the specific student.” Students may qualify “under 13 different categories,” he said, and the district conducts extensive evaluations before developing goals, supports, and progress monitoring in collaboration with parents.

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Garrett, who has worked in special education for 37 years, emphasized the importance of that collaboration. “We work together in conjunction with parents to try and make this education work,” he said. He praised the district’s teachers and service providers who “work hard to serve these students and to help them receive their education to the best of their ability.”

Inclusion has become a cornerstone of modern special education, and Jenkins noted how far the field has come. “If you go back 50 years, there were over a million students that were excluded from public education,” he said. Today, programs in Iron County are designed to keep students “in their local schools, in classrooms with their peers,” which he described as “the goal of special education… inclusion to the maximum extent possible.”

Both directors acknowledged that rising behavioral challenges are one of the most significant trends influencing services today. Garrett said the district has increased behavioral support staff, including certified behavior analysts, because “behaviors… have increased” and additional resources help both students and teachers succeed in inclusive classrooms.

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Paraprofessionals also play a critical role. Jenkins said they “really are some of the backbone of the support that our students receive,” with Garrett estimating that between 150 and 250 paraprofessionals work in Iron County schools.

To celebrate the anniversary of IDEA, Jenkins shared that district leaders planned to visit every school in the district that afternoon. For families moving into the area or seeking support, he recommended starting at the local school, which can assist with records, evaluations, and next steps.