Schedule a Tour
Call or complete the form below to set up a meeting with the superintendent to experience all that Crestline has to offer.
Child Find
Child Find is the process of locating, evaluating, and identifying children with disabilities who may be in need of special education and related services. The Crestline Exempted Village School District is committed to the location, identification and provision of a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), for all children between the ages of 3 and 22, having disabilities. Location and referral of such children may be initiated by anyone with knowledge of the child and suspecting the child may have a disability.
The purpose of Child Find is to alert parents, professionals, and the public to children who may have special needs and to guarantee that school districts find children who may have disabilities and who otherwise may not have come to their attention. Benefits include enabling eligible children to receive the special education and related services they need and to promote public awareness of disabilities.
Definition of Disability
Birth to Age 3 years: a disability is defined as a physical or mental condition that may result in a developmental delay.
Age 3-5 years: a disability is defined as a documented deficit in one or more of the following developmental areas: communication, vision, hearing, motor skills, social emotional/behavioral functioning, self-help skills, and/or cognitive skills.
Age 5-21 years: a disability is defined as identification of one or more of the following conditions: autism, deaf blindness, hearing impairment including deafness, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, emotional disturbance, specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, and/or visual impairment including blindness.
Local school districts are required by federal and state laws to find children who may need special education and related services.
Parents, relatives, public and private agency employees, childcare providers, physicians and concerned citizens are encouraged to help school districts find any child, ages birth to age 21, who may have a disability and are in need of special education and related services.
If you have concerns about a child’s ability or skills and suspect there may be a disability, please contact the child’s teacher, principal, or the Special Education Director at 419-683-3647 Extension: 45139
The school district will contact the parents of the child to discuss the next steps in the evaluation and identification process. This process is provided at no cost to the family. If a need is identified, the child can begin receiving the appropriate special education and related services during the school day.
Parent Information
Parent Mentors
Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center's Parent Mentor Project: Guiding Families through the Special Education Process, Parent Mentors provide information and support to families of children with disabilities and their school districts. Additionally, parent mentors make sure districts receive perspective and input from families. Each mentor is a district employee and a parent of a child with a disability.
Learn More
Crestline Parent Mentor:
Lindsey Schonauer-Howald
419-774-5520 ext. 2018 Email: schonauer.lindsey@moesc.net
Message from THE director of special education
"Every child deserves a champion — an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be." - Rita Pierson
Contact Special Services
Special Services Team
- Dorothy Balkin- School Psychologist Elementary: balkin.dorothy@crestlinebulldogs.org
- Steve Willeke - School Psychologist High School: willeke.steve@moesc.net
- Fran Swiderski- Speech and Language Pathologist: swiderski.fran@crestlinebulldogs.org
- Katie Bowman- Occupational therapist: bowman.katie@crestlinebulldogs.org
- Paul Savatori- Physical Therapist: savatori.paul@moesc.net
- Patrick Okyere- Director of Students Services: okyere.patrick@crestlinebulldogs.org
401 Heiser Court
Crestline, Ohio 44827