Welcome to Student Services!

Welcome Back, Clawson Families!

We are thrilled to welcome our students and families back for the 2026–27 school year! As we begin a new year, we are excited to continue building strong partnerships with families and providing meaningful opportunities for every student to learn, grow, and thrive.

Celebrating Growth and Inclusion

Over the past year, the Student Services Department focused on embedding our revised systems and processes into daily practice. We expanded our special education programs and continuum of supports to better meet each student’s unique needs within their Least Restrictive Environment (LRE).

We are incredibly proud of our Clawson team for meeting students where they are and working collaboratively with families, general education teams, and community agencies to provide individualized support.

Inclusion remains at the heart of our mission. As a recognized Unified school district, we are committed to fostering acceptance, belonging, and meaningful participation for every learner—from our Early Childhood Center through high school graduation.

Our Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) also continues to be an invaluable partner. PAC advocates for Clawson families while creating meaningful opportunities for families to connect, share ideas, and strengthen our school community.

Summer Progress and New Initiatives for 2026–27

Our commitment to continuous improvement continued throughout the summer. Several dedicated staff members collaborated with us to develop and launch important initiatives for the upcoming school year.

Expanding Assistive Technology Access

Our progress: Special thanks to Amy Hatto, Michelle Richards, Meagan Wander, Leslie Jones, Sheila Brallier, Carrie Heslip, Steve Lemke, Caitlyn Dasin, and our entire Assistive Technology Team for establishing a clear, standardized process for identifying students who may benefit from assistive technology and requesting appropriate supports.

New this fall: Every Clawson Public Schools student will have access to HelperBird, an all-in-one browser extension designed to make web pages, PDFs, and digital documents easier to read, write, and navigate. The tool provides customizable support for students who experience language- or text-based learning barriers.

Clawson Public Schools will be piloting HelperBird through the end of the first semester as we gather feedback and evaluate its effectiveness.

Enhanced Progress Reporting Through Essential Elements

Our progress: A heartfelt thank-you to Sheila Brallier, Sarah Peterson, and Rebecca Anders for their extensive work aligning alternate content standards and non-traditional academic assessments across our continuum of services.

New this fall: We are launching specialized benchmark assessments and report cards for students who are instructed using Michigan’s Essential Elements. This change will affect students in our ASD Center Program and Secondary Cognitively Impaired (CI) Program.

Families will receive more detailed and accurate documentation of their child’s academic and social-emotional progress, with reporting aligned directly to the alternate standards being used for instruction.

Strengthening Post-Secondary Pathways Through Personal Curriculums

New goal for 2026–27: Clawson High School is implementing a refined framework for evaluating and developing Personal Curriculums for students with disabilities.

By aligning graduation requirements with individual students’ post-secondary goals and needs, this work is intended to strengthen student engagement, attendance, and long-term success beyond high school.

Staffing Updates

A significant part of our summer was dedicated to welcoming new team members and supporting staff transitions. Please join us in welcoming the following staff to Clawson Public Schools!

New to Clawson Public Schools

• CES ASD Center Program Teachers: Caitlyn Krukau and Madelyn Perkins

• CES Resource Room Long-term Substitutes: Carmen Hartmeyer and Sharon Harden (5th grade) and Andrea Eberhardt (2nd/3rd grades)

• K–12 ASD Center Program Recreational Therapist: Amanda Peck

• District Behavior Specialist/BCBA: Rachael Emmendorfer

• Long-Term Speech and Language Substitute – ECC and Nonpublics: Amanda Leung

• Occupational Therapist: Deborah Dalton

• Long-Term CES School Psychologist Substitute: Nancy Peters 

• Resource Room Paraprofessionals:  Dallas Slowik, Barb Crowley, Deepika Dwivedi

• ASD Center Program Paraprofessionals:  Juliana Alcaras

New Roles at Clawson Public Schools

• Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) and CES School Social Worker: Megan Branstner

• Early On and CMS School Social Worker: Johanna Hoffman (formerly Sherry)

• CHS and Nonpublic School Social Worker: Laura Hand

• ASD Center Program Paraprofessional Changes: Derek Custer (CES), Batoul Enustun (CMS), Matt Lee (CMS), Alex Cordone (CHS)

We also want to recognize and thank the staff members who are moving on to new endeavors. We are grateful for the time, dedication, and care they have given to Clawson students and families.

We wish Leslie Jones, Laurie Hoffman, Kim Zajac, Annika Wilson, Katie Meeks, Eric Stephen, Lucy Bruening, Jillian Liford, and Carey Shields all the best in their new endeavors!

Celebrating Retirement

Please join us in congratulating Kathy Martyniuk and Peggy Meagher on their retirement!

Together, Kathy and Peggy supported Clawson students for a combined 50+ years. Their dedication, compassion, and commitment have made a lasting difference in the lives of countless students and families. We are deeply grateful for all they have contributed to our school community and wish them all the best in this next chapter!

We’re Still Hiring!

We are continuing to build our Student Services team. Current openings include:

• Paraeducator positions in our ASD Center and Resource/Secondary CI programs

• School Psychologist

• CES Resource Room Teacher (2 positions)

If you or someone you know is interested in joining our team, we encourage you to explore our current employment opportunities with Clawson Public Schools.

Looking Ahead

Every system we refine, every program we expand, and every tool we introduce has one purpose: to empower our students to grow, thrive, and succeed.

Thank you for your continued partnership, trust, and support. We look forward to working alongside you throughout the 2026–27 school year and making it a wonderful year for every student in our Clawson community.

Save the Date: Upcoming Annual IEP Meetings

Our team is already preparing for the 2026–27 school year IEP reviews! Every student receiving special education services has an annual review, and we will offer both in-person and virtual options again this year. Staff worked on our IEP calendars during Professional Development. Soon, you will be receiving an IEP Save the Date letter!

• Look for Your Date: Check the individualized section of your letter for your student's tentative meeting date and time, chosen to align with expiration dates and staff availability.
• Save the Date: Please add this time to your calendar. If the scheduled time simply won't work, contact your child's Primary Case Manager as soon as possible to find a mutually agreeable time.
• Official Invitations: Formal IEP invitations will be sent out 10–14 days prior to your meeting date.

We deeply value our home-and-school partnership and look forward to collaborating with you to support your student!

Stay Connected

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with questions, concerns, or ideas. We value your partnership and welcome opportunities to work together in support of your child.

Be sure to explore the rest of our newsletter for additional resources, updates, and opportunities to connect with Clawson Public Schools.

Warm regards,

Rebecca Anders, Ed.S.
Director of Special Education
rebecca.anders@clawsonschools.org

Sarah Peterson, Ed.S. (formerly McGovern)
ASD Center Program Supervisor/District Transition Coordinator
sarah.peterson@clawsonschools.org

Documents

Family Matters Letter to Families (MDE)
Procedural Safeguards
Procedural Safeguards Fact Sheet
Family Matters
MDE Personal Curriculum
Section 504 FAQ
Early On (Birth to Three) Referral Information
Early On Oakland Community Resource Guide

Clawson Public Schools, Special Education Continuum of Programs and Services