Summit County ESC

Student Services provides a wide variety of services to both local and city school districts in Summit County, as well as in neighboring Cuyahoga and Portage Counties. We provide school psychological services, special education and related services, such as speech and language supervision, consultation, and therapy, occupational therapy, COTA services, and work-study and attendance coordination. We also provide intervention specialists, educational aides, attendants, and interpreters to assist area districts in meeting the educational needs of their students. We also coordinate, staff, and run a comprehensive, integrated preschool program for students, ages three through five.

During the year, we provide staff development opportunities for our special education staff and district’s administrators to comply with Ohio’s “Operating Standards for Ohio’s Schools Serving Children with Disabilities.”

We also coordinate counselor education for the Summit County Counselors’ Association. Summit County has a long history of providing outstanding services to our schools.

For more information, contact: Denise M. Cirino, Director

Psychiatric Intake Response Center
330-543-7472 or 866-443-7472,
7 a.m. Monday through 7 a.m. Saturday.

In 2006 several Summit County ESC psychologist participated in a meeting on creating a central clearinghouse that could refer families to mental health services available in the Summit County area. We are please to announce that PIRC (Psychiatric Intake Response Center) is now available to families in need. The PIRC is located at Akron Children’s Medical Center and is open 24 hours a day, five days a week (7 a.m. Monday through 7 a.m. Saturday). More than 20 agencies are participating in this program including, the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board; Child and Family Solutions, Inc.; the Family and Children First Council; the Summit County Juvenile Court and Summit County Children Services Board. Clinical counselors and Licensed Social Workers will answer the phones and direct the families to mental health services available to them.

The following is a list of services provided by Student Services. It is in no way a comprehensive list, but covers general areas of service provision with a very brief overview of that service. Services are provided based on district service contracts in agreement with our Board Policy and Procedures.

Attendance Coordination
Provide assistance with students experiencing attendance problems and investigating and helping to remediate these problems. Coordinate any collaborative efforts to provide services to students who are involved with appropriate community agencies; i.e., Akron Child Guidance, Children Services Board, Children’s Hospital, Blick Clinic, etc.

School Psychological Services
Provide full range of school psychological services, including testing, counseling, and consultation to students, teachers, administrators, parents, and community agencies. Some of our school psychologists are LEA assigned.

Special Education Supervisory Services
Provide consultation and supervision for all special education classes, out-of-district placements, related services, extended school year programming, and any form of special education programming.

School Speech/Language Pathology Services
Provide full range of speech/language therapy services, including testing, therapy, and consultation.

Speech/Language Supervisory Services
Provide consultation and supervision to speech/language pathologists, as well as for students with communication impairments as their primary or related area of disability. Establish in-services related to current practice and theory and provide consultation to regular and special educators regarding language-based difficulties.

Work-Study Coordination Services
Provide work-study coordination services to all high school special education students and assistance in helping to secure community-based employment.

Summit County Preschool Program
Provide an integrated, comprehensive preschool program for all students, ages 3 to 5, with special needs or considered at-risk. Related services, such as assessments, speech and language therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and nursing services are also provided.

Summit County Counselors’ Association
Provide counselor education through staff development with elementary, middle school, and high school counselors.

The Student Services Department also acts as a liaison between the Ohio Department of Education and the Office of Exceptional Children and our local school districts on all issues relative to rules, regulations, standards, certification, due process issues, and policies and procedures, etc.