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.

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

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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.

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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.

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Remote Instruction Presents New Challenges for Special-Needs Students in Burlington County

WESTAMPTON – Staff at Burlington County Special Services School District are working to support students and their families at home. They also regularly engage in discussions and planning to address challenges that remote learning presents in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read the initial story in the Burlington County Times, as well as a follow-up April 16 article following Governor Murphy’s announcement to extend school closures.

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