PEER Project students on the USU campus
The CCSD Special Education department assists schools, families, and our community in ensuring that identified students with disabilities receive special education and related services under the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Education Act (IDEA). Programs and teachers work diligently across the district so that students have a free appropriate public education that emphasizes specially-designed instruction.
Post High is for students with significant disabilities ages 18-22. Cache County School District has two post high options for students that qualify, one called Cache County Post High (located by Sky View High School) and one on the USU campus called PEER (Post-Secondary Education, Employment and Research) Project. Post high programs work with students and their families and supports to set goals for their future, including employment, community access, continuing education, and independent living.
Students in the post high program participate in many activities and outings in the community that allow students real-life experiences to enable them to be more independent now and later in life. Students participate in unpaid internships in community settings including USU Inn, USU Dining Services, Lee's Marketplace, Aggie Chocolate Factory, and many more. They also work on independent living skills like cooking, laundry, cleaning, budgeting, and other tasks. These activities prepare students for their future while instilling a pattern of goal setting and achievement.
PEER Project is a joint program with Cache and Logan City School District, housed at Utah State University. PEER Project receives support at USU through the Center for Persons with Disabilities, and USU's Dining Services. Students attending PEER project are working towards part- or full-time paid employment. Some students attending have plans to live independently, in their own apartment or home. Many of the students attending use public transportation independently to access their school or community.
Jimmie is a student attending PEER Project. He started taking welding classes at Sky View High School and has continued taking classes through Bridgerland Technical College while at PEER Project. He plans to earn his welding certificate this summer or next fall, and to get a job as a welder. Jimmie rides the public bus daily to get to class by himself and is practicing in his spare time to get his driver's license.
CCSD Special Education Director Jeni Buist believes that anybody with disabilities can be an integral part of our community. “These programs enrich Cache County School District because they allow Special Education students their rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Education Act (IDEA) to transition into living independently and being successful members of our community,” Buist explained. “Many of our Post High and PEER students can and will hold jobs and live independently in the community. We are helping them to be successful in their lives, past their academic years. It is also a way for the students to try out different jobs to see what they like and don’t like and what their strengths and abilities may be.”
In addition to the Post High and PEER programs, special education services in CCSD include speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, assistive technology, audiology, vision, behavior, and special education testing. For more information, see the CCSD special education page here.
