Special Education
Special Education Department Phone: (619) 390-2600 (x2620)
Fax: (619) 390-2597
Dr. Danielle Clark, Director of Special Education
dclark@lsusd.net
Janettte Ridgels, Special Education Program Specialist
jridgels@lsusd.net
Alejandra Garcia, Special Education Program Specialist
agarcia@lsusd.net
Danielle Stein, Admin Support Specialist
(619)390-2600 (x2620)
dstein@lsusd.net
Stephanie Jansen, Admin Assistant
(619) 390-2600 (x2621)
sjansen@lsusd.net
Procedural Safeguards
East County Special Education Local Plan
Restraint and Seclusion
Student Support Services
Student Support Services Department Phone (619)390-2600 x2766
LUSD Community Liaisons support parent engagement serving Title One schools to ensure that families are connected to school activities and have the support they need to communicate effectively with school staff.
Dr. Patricia Fernandez, Director, Student Support
pfernandez@lsusd.net
Kyla Marks, Student Support Assistant
(619)390-2600 x2766
kmarks@lsusd.net
Mirna Bernal, Community Liaison
(619)390-2600, Text (760) 627-9769
mbernal@lsusd.net
Reneé Myers, Community Liaison
(619)390-2600 x2575, Text (760)676-2726
rmyers@lsusd.net
Marieann ibarguen-Saldana, Community Liaison
(619)390-2600 x2060, Text (619) 927-5888
mibarguen-saldana@lsusd.net
MTSS TOSA (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support)
Sasha Barmaki, MTSS Teacher on Special Assignment
Emily Okerlund, MTSS Teacher on Special Assignment
Carrie Suggett, MTSS Teacher on Special Assignment
Suzy Smith, MTSS Teacher on Special Assignment
School Counselors
Nickie Corley, Tierra del Sol Middle School
Sarah Carter, Lakeside Middle School
Erika Garcia, Lindo Park Elementary
Josephine Sardina, Lakeview Elementary
Samantha Wooster, Riverview International Academy (including Wintergardens)
Teresa Pfab, Lemon Crest Elementary
Caroline Winter, Lakeside Farms Elementary
Access to Student Mental Health Resources
The parent or legal guardian of any pupil can access mental health services by contacting their School Counselor or Principal. School-site Counselors or School Principals, with the consent of the parent or legal guardian, can determine whether a student’s mental health services can be supported at the school-site or via an outside referral.
Lakeside Union School District Mental Health Resources Brochure
SDCOE Parent Guide to Mental Health and Wellness
Student Wellness
Lakeside Union School District offers a comprehensive school-based counseling approach for all students. Please feel free to contact your child’s school for access to school counseling services.
Resources and Information
Virtual Wellness Center
Information Every Parent Needs to Know
Eating/Nutrition Resources
Healthy Eating Guides and Nutrition
Families Experiencing Hardship
At times, students’ families may experience housing emergencies or crises. Support is available for students whose families are experiencing a housing crisis and lack fixed, regular and adequate overnight accommodations.
Please contact the School Counselor or Community Liaison at your child’s school for information regarding support available for your child.
If your child is not in school, or if you have any questions about the McKinney-Vento Services and crisis intervention, you may contact Lakeside Union School District’s Director Student Support Services, Dr. Patricia Fernandez, at (619) 390-2600.
Students experiencing homelessness have the right to access the same free, appropriate public education, including public preschools, as provided to other children and youth. For additional information and resources, please visit the California Department of Education’s Homeless Education webpage.
Lakeside Union School District strives to meet the unique social-emotional and educational needs of foster youth and those in transition and/or experiencing homelessness by working collaboratively with students, caregivers, schools, placing agencies, and other related agencies to meet educational rights and protections per the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
The term homeless children and youth means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This definition also includes:
- Children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason
- Children who may be living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or shelters.
- Children and youth who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings
- Children and youth who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings, or
- Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are children who are living in similar circumstances listed above
Suicide Prevention
Lakeside Union School District is committed to supporting youth in distress, providing prevention and crisis resources.
LUSD Board Policy 5141.52 Suicide Prevention
LUSD Regulation 5142.52 Suicide Prevention
Resources and Information
Preventing Youth Suicide: Tips for Parents and Educators
If You or Someone You Know is Thinking about Suicide
Suicide Prevention: A Resource for Parents
Health Services
Denise Beals, District Nurse (619) 390-2600 x2623
Michelle McCurdy, District Nurse (619) 390-2600 x2622
Student Health Forms
Immunization Information
Title IX
The Lakeside Union School District is an equal opportunity employer and educational program and prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying based on actual or perceived ancestry, age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital or parental status or association with a person or a group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. For more information, please contact Executive Student Support Services Director, Dr. Patricia Fernandez at pfernandez@lsusd.net
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