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The purpose of special education is to provide an appropriate education to all students who have been identified as having a disability and a need for specially designed instruction. This means that the district is responsible for appropriately serving each student in the least restrictive environment and for adapting the content, methodology or delivery of instruction for students based on their unique needs. As you might imagine, this is not an easy task and requires a lot of teamwork between the district, parents, and area education agency (AEA).

The number of Norwalk students receiving special education services is around 10% of the student population. These services vary substantially from basic speech support to more extensive physical and cognitive support. Regardless of the disability, the goal is to continue to help each student improve in their individual goal areas.


Here are some links intended to help parents with understanding special education terms and questions:

Special Education Acronyms (PDF)

FAQs for Norwalk parents about special education

Current Norwalk special education delivery plan (PDF)

Iowa IDEA information for parents and teachers

Other support agencies:

Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Staff Contacts