Special Education
The JCSS Special Education programs are founded upon the belief that all children are capable of learning and being successful in school experiences which are designed to develop academic, social, emotional, behavioral, and independence skills for active participation in their community.
Special Education services support children 3-21 years of age who meet eligibility guidelines in the following areas: Autism, Deaf/Blind, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Emotional and Behavioral Disorder, Intellectual Disability, Orthopedic Impairment, Other Health Impaired, Significant Developmentally Delayed, Specific Learning Disability, Speech/Language Impairment, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Visual Impairment and Blindness. These services are provided in all school systems in Georgia and are free of charge to parents.
The JCSS Special Education Department strives to meet the individual needs of all our students. We invite you to join us in serving your children so that, together, we can guide them in reaching their greatest potential.
Click here to learn about Child Find and our JCSS Special Education Preschool Program
Destruction of Records Notice
The Jackson County School System archives and stores special education student records from the Special Education Department for a limited time, according to the Common Records Retention Schedules for all school systems, under the Georgia Archives University System of Georgia. All special education records for students reaching the age of 22 are scheduled for destruction after July of calendar year. Any person desiring to obtain his/her records may contact the Alexis Johnson via telephone at 706-367-5151 extension 17353.
Meet Our Team
Tammy Simpson-Shirley | Director of Special Education
Email: tsimpson-shirley@jcss.us
Dr. Leslie Teague | Special Education Coordinator
Email: lteague@jcss.us
Chelsea Partridge | Special Education Coordinator
Email: cjpatridge@jcss.us
Emily Cimarossa | Parent Mentor
Email: ecimarossa@jcss.us
Andrea Jarrett | Special Education Coordinator
Email: aajarrett@jcss.us
Karyn Gunter | Special Education Coordinator
Email: marti.gunter@jcss.us
Amy Thompson | Administrative Professional
Email: athompson@jcss.us
Alexis Johnson | SPED Compliance Professional
Email: alexis.johnson@jcss.us
Abby Cross | Special Education Coordinator
Email: across@jcss.us