New Jersey Joint Council of County Special Services School Districts

We are dedicated partners in educating and empowering students with special needs and significant disabilities.

Cape May County Teacher of the Year to Shine a Spotlight on Special Services School Districts

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Special Education Careers are Rich in Rewards

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Special Services Districts Maintain Engagement with Students and Families through Virtual ESY Programming

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Celebrating Hard Work and Major Milestones with Virtual, Traveling, and Socially Distanced Graduations

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NJ Special Education Leaders Unite in Decision to Put Safety First and Provide Extended School Year for Students with Disabilities Remotely

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Creative and Committed Staff Ease Transition to Remote Learning

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February is CTE Month: County Special Services School Districts Celebrate Success of Career and Technical Programming, Life Skills Training

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Special Services School Districts Ready to Meet High Standards of New Jersey’s Deaf Student’s Bill of Rights

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NJ Joint Council of County Special Services School Districts Welcome NJ DOE Officials

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NJ’s Special Services School Districts Help Make Medical and Emergency Care Less Stressful for Special Needs Families

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About The New Jersey Joint Council of County Special Services School Districts

The New Jersey Joint Council of County Special Services School Districts promotes the unique role of county special services school districts as providers of highly specialized placements for students with severe and multiple disabilities and cost-effective shared services for local districts. The special services districts work in partnership with local districts to help each student reach his or her full potential.

Learn more about the Joint Council and its eight member districts.

Districts in the News

Stephen Jones – An Inspiration for Shore!

Atlantic County Special Services School District’s School-to-Work Program is an example of a Transition Program that helps students with special needs prepare for their next steps in life. Programming often includes on-the-job training, which can lead to paid employment, like it did for Stephen Jones at Shore Medical Center.

Read about his success story in this October 15 article in Shore Local.

A scroll lays on top of a graduation cap

Special Services School Sends off Grads with Sweet, Socially Distant Ceremony

HAMILTON – Members of the Class of 2020 at Mercer High School, part of the Mercer County Special Services School District, marked the milestone with a ceremony that was part graduation, part parade. With COVID-19 restrictions preventing traditional ceremonies, educators found a way to make the day special for their graduates.

Read more on NJ.com.

A mother and daughter work at a computer

Schools to Continue with Remote Special Ed Services

The eight member districts of the New Jersey Joint Council of County Special Services School Districts are among the growing number of districts in the state announcing that they will deliver instruction and related services for Extended School Year (ESY) programs remotely. NJ Joint Council Chairman Howard Lerner, Ed.D., has become a leading voice advocating for more time and more specific state guidance for getting New Jersey’s most vulnerable student population back to school safely.

Read recent stories on ESY programming in The Press of Atlantic City and NorthJersey.com.

Rasheda Garcia, a teacher of the deaf and trained educational interpreter who serves students through the Educational Services Unit of the Burlington County Special Services School District, works one-on-one with a student.

Meeting the Needs of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

Trenton – Last summer, New Jersey Acting Governor Sheila Y. Oliver signed legislation into law establishing a Deaf Student’s Bill of Rights.The eight districts that make up the New Jersey Joint Council of County Special Services School Districts have experts in place to help regional public partners navigate the standards in the Deaf Student’s Bill of Rights, and they offer both specialized placements and cost-effective shared services to help deaf and hard of hearing students in local districts reach their greatest potential.

Learn more in a feature article appearing in the May/June issue of School Leader magazine.

Featured District Video

Learn more about how county special services school districts help prepare students for transitioning out of school through this video on Bergen County’s Career Crossroads program.

I am continually impressed by the caring, thoughtful staff at BCSSSD. This was my daughter’s first year and they went “above and beyond” to help her make the transition. I appreciated the feedback I received from her teachers…I felt I was part of the team in decisions about her program.

Patti B.

Burlington County

As I watched from my car, my three-year-old son walked off his first school bus…no speech, required a special diet…multi-disabled. I was terrified for him. But, I saw at least three staff members welcome him…and escort him where he needed to go. That was 13 years ago. Today he still gets that same warm welcome. We are so pleased with the young man my son is growing to be and the school has been very instrumental in this.

Nancy H.

Cape May County