Countywide : More Special Ed Buildings Planned
County and Tustin school district officials celebrated the groundbreaking for new school buildings for special education students on Thursday.
The new facilities are additions to existing elementary schools, allowing the integration of handicapped students with other students, said Robert Ours, administrator for facilities and planning for the Orange County Department of Education.
The first such project in the county opened Thursday with 60 special education students at Phillip J. Reilly School in Mission Viejo, Ours said.
When two new buildings are completed at Robert P. Heideman School in Tustin in about a year, 50 special education students will be integrated with the 470 students now registered at the school. The estimated cost of the state-funded project at Heideman is $3 million.
Heideman School was built in 1969 with 15 classrooms. This project will add 12 classrooms to be used by both special education students and others.
“We’re thrilled,” said Heideman Principal Patricia James. “The discussion and planning have been going on for about three years now.”
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