In partnership with the East Central Kansas Cooperative in Education, the school district provides a number of special education resources. Special education teachers, social workers, school psychologists, physical & occupational therapists, behavioral specialists, and speech & language specialists are employed by the district and the ECKCE to serve USD 348 students.
Special education services are essential to our school district as they help provide an accessible, equitable, and individualized education for our students in need of additional supports.
At the core of most special education services are Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) or 504 Plans. IEPs are available for students who typically require modifications within their curriculum and/or learning environment, and the student must meet a specific list of criteria to be eligible for those services.
504 Plans are available for any student who has a disability or perceived disability that impacts a major life function, like learning. The 504 plan focuses on accommodations for making the student successful in the general education classroom, and can be temporary or permanent depending on the student’s needs and situation.
Families and schools are important partners in the education of all children, and especially those receiving special education services. Parents and students have rights in the special education process laid out in the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the state Kansas Special Education for Exceptional Children Act.
Both IEPs and 504s are reviewed annually, though IEPs have a more rigorous, measurable component associated with the student’s learning and progress toward their educational goals.
Our District 504 Coordinators in each building are as follows:
| Building | 504 Coordinator |
| Primary Center | Melissa McGill |
| Intermediate Center | Dan Wallsmith |
| Junior High School | Derek Bland (6th) & Bench Currie (7/8th) |
| High School | Cydney Novotney |
More information about our district special education partners, the East Central Kansas Cooperative in Education, can be found at their website, www.eckce.com.
District Special Education Staff
Baldwin Elementary School – Primary Center
 Jessica Barker |  Vickie Hane |  Hillary Hoffman |
| Speech and Language Pathologist jbarker@usd348.com Ext 523 | Special Education Teacher 2nd Grade vhane@usd348.com Ext 518 | Special Education Teacher 1st Grade hhoffman@usd348.com Ext 521 |
 Kate Locke |  Kaylyn Stout |  Carol Wright |
| Special Education Teacher Kindergarten klocke@usd348.com Ext 520 | Special Education Teacher K-2 Life Skills kstout@usd348.com Ext 522 | Speech and Language Pathologist carolwright@usd348.com Ext 524 |
 Melissa McGill |  Emily Schoenfeld |  Patty Lenning |
| School Social Worker mmcgill@usd348.com Ext 503 | School Psychologist BESPC & BESIC eschoenfeld@usd348.com Ext 404 | Extended Learning Kindergarten-8th Grade plenning@usd348.com Ext 345 |
Baldwin Elementary School – Intermediate Center
 Rachel Braga |  Xixi Cao |  Robin McCune |
| Special Education Teacher 4th Grade rbraga@usd348.com Ext 451 | Special Education Teacher 5th Grade xcao@usd348.com Ext 451 | Special Education Teacher 3rd Grade rmccune@usd348.com Ext 451 |
 Stephanie Soden |  Michel Bonham | Emily Schoenfeld |
| Speech and Language Pathologist stephaniesoden@usd348.com Ext 452 | School Social Worker mbonham@usd348.com Ext 403 | School Psychologist BESPC and BESIC eschoenfeld@usd348.com Ext 404 |
Patty Lenning | ||
| Extended Learning Kindergarten-8th Grade plenning@usd348.com Ext 345 |
Baldwin Junior High School
 Eric Burrows |  Bari Deardorff |  Jennifer Ramirez |
| Special Education Teacher 8th Grade jbarker@usd348.com Ext 523 | Special Education Teacher 6-8 Life Skills vhane@usd348.com Ext 518 | Special Education Teacher 6th Grade hhoffman@usd348.com Ext 521 |
 Jeffrey Wilkerson | Patty Lenning |  Lori Markley |
| Special Education Teacher 7th Grade klocke@usd348.com Ext 520 | Extended Learning Kindergarten-8th Grade plenning@usd348.com Ext 345 | Speech and Language Pathologist BJHS & BHS lmarkley@usd348.com Ext 310 |
 Heidi DuBois | ||
| School Psychologist BHS & BJHS hdubois@usd348.com Ext 308 |
Baldwin High School
 Jeremy Dalton |  Randi Dalton |  Jennifer Lewis |
| Special Education Teacher jdalton@usd348.com Ext 263 | Special Education Teacher Extended Learning rdalton@usd348.com | Special Education Teacher 9-12 Life Skills jlewis@usd348.com Ext 266 |
 Kathryn Maschke |  Jeffrey Melcher |  Ashley Taylor |
| Special Education Teacher kmaschke@usd348.com Ext 265 | Special Education Teacher jmelcher@usd348.com Ext 267 | Special Education Teacher Bridges Program ataylor@usd348.com Ext 316 |
Lori Markley | Heidi DuBois | |
| Speech and Language Pathologist BHS & BJHS lmarkley@usd348.com Ext 310 | School Psychologist BHS & BJHS hdubois@usd348.com Ext 308 |
Staff Serving Multiple Schools
 Kylie Fischer |  Amy Hickman |  Josh Reynolds |
| District Occupational Therapist kfischer@usd348.com Ext 552 | Behavior Specialist (785) 594-2737 | Special Education Transition Coordinator jreynolds@eckce.com (785) 594-2737 ext. 206 |
 Chelsey Schwendemann |  Jenelle Hunnicutt | |
| District Special Education Social Worker cschwendemann@usd348.com Ext 319 | Physical Therapist jhunnicutt@usd348.com | |
 Dan Wray |  Jim Persinger | |
| ECKCE Director (785) 594-2737 ext. 200 | ECKCE Assistant Director (785) 594-2737 ext. 201 |