Special Programs
At Bells ISD, we recognize that every student’s journey is unique. Our Special Programs Department is dedicated to providing the specialized instruction and support necessary to unlock each learner's full potential. Whether through Special Education (SPED), Section 504 accommodations, Dyslexia services, English as a Second Language (ESL) support, or Gifted and Talented (GT) enrichment, our mission is to ensure equitable access to a high-quality education. By partnering with families and educators, we create individualized environments where every student—regardless of their starting point—can thrive, grow, and succeed.
For more information about programs, contact Emily Barnett at emily.barnett@bellsisd.net.
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Bells Independent School District seeks to identify and serve all children with disabilities residing within its jurisdiction who are in need of special education and related services. The District is responsible for identifying, locating, and evaluating children from birth through age 21, with known or suspected disabilities who reside in and/or attend school within the school district’s boundaries to determine whether a need for special education and related services exists.
Evaluations in the schools are provided for several areas of suspected disabilities, including learning disabilities, speech and language development, physical impairments, vision or hearing problems, intellectual disability, emotional disturbances, autism/pervasive developmental disorders, health impairments, or traumatic brain injuries.
A free, appropriate, public education with a full continuum of services is available. If you suspect or know of a child who has one or more of the following disabilities, please contact Sharon Farr, sharon.farr@graysoncountyssa.org, 903-696-0015.
Child Find Poster (English)
Child Find Poster (Spanish)
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Bells ISD participates in the Grayson County Special Education SSA. The Coop and its member districts offer comprehensive special education services to eligible students ages 3 through 21 years and to children from birth through age 21 years who have hearing or visual impairment.
Children from birth to 3 years old with other disabilities are referred to appropriate agencies for services. All referrals are considered confidential, and services are provided at no cost. The parent, legal guardian, or surrogate parent retains the right to refuse services and are provided other procedural safeguards under federal and state law.
Evaluations in the schools are provided for several areas of suspected disabilities, including learning disabilities, speech and language development, physical impairments, vision or hearing problems, intellectual disability, emotional disturbances, autism/pervasive developmental disorders, health impairments, or traumatic brain injuries.
A free, appropriate, public education with a full continuum of services is available.
TEA Overview of Special Education
Director of Special Education
Lacy Omohundro
Grayson County Co-op
(903) 696-0015 ext. 203
Child Find Contact
Sharon Farr
sharon.farr@graysoncountyssa.org
903-696-0015
SEE IMPORTANT LINKS BELOW:
1. Sped Tex
2. Dyslexia Handbook Important Changes for Families English Spanish
3. Texas Transition and Employment Guide (English) (Spanish)
4. Special Ed Child Find Notice (English) (Spanish)
5. Compensatory Services (English) (Spanish)
6. Parent's Guide to the ARD Process
7. Notice of Procedural Safeguards
8. Significant Disproportionality Requirements
Updates in Special Education SB 139 Notice to Families
- Bells Elementary English
- Bells Elementary Spanish
- Pritchard Junior High English
- Pritchard Junior High Spanish
- Bells High School English
- Bells High School Spanish
Homebound Services
Consistent with state rule and the SAAH, a student receiving special education services may be eligible for special education homebound services if the student is to be confined for a minimum of four weeks to a hospital or homebound setting for medical reasons specifically documented by a physician licensed to practice in the United States. If a student is chronically ill, the student’s admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee shall determine whether the weeks of confinement need to be consecutive.
If the ARD committee determines that homebound instruction is appropriate, the committee shall determine the type and amount of instruction to be provided in accordance with law, and, if applicable, the length of the transition period to the school-based setting based on current medical information.
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The International Dyslexia Association - Definition of Dyslexia
“Dyslexia is a specific learning disability characterized by difficulties in word reading and/or spelling that involve accuracy, speed, or both and vary depending on the orthography. These difficulties occur along a continuum of severity and persist even with instruction that is effective for the individual’s peers. The causes of dyslexia are complex and involve combinations of genetic, neurobiological, and environmental influences that interact throughout development. Underlying difficulties with phonological and morphological processing are common but not universal, and early oral language weaknesses often foreshadow literacy challenges. Secondary consequences include reading comprehension problems and reduced reading and writing experience that can impede growth in language, knowledge, written expression, and overall academic achievement. Psychological well-being and employment opportunities also may be affected. Although identification and targeted instruction are important at any age, language and literacy support before and during the early years of education is particularly effective.”
Adopted by the IDA Board of Directors on October 22, 2025. For more detailed context, please visit the 2025 IDA Definition Explanation, which includes the IDA Definition Presentation. The 2002 Definition Consensus Project remains available as a historical reference.
Parent Resources
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Bells ISD offers an ESL instructional program in grades Pre-K-12th for eligible Emergent Bilingual students. The program considers the student's primary language, culture, and prior knowledge to be the foundation for academic success and social growth. Integrating language development and literacy skills across the curriculum (Pre-K-12) provides students with the opportunity to acquire a high level of literacy and fluency in English.
In Bells ISD, ESL is taught by certified ESL teachers and is available at all campuses.
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The Bells Independent School District will assure an array of learning opportunities that are proportionate with the abilities of gifted and talented students that emphasize content in the four core academic areas. The program which provides services to identified students of the district shall be known as the Gifted/Talented (G/T) Program.
”Gifted and talented student" means a child or youth who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment and who:
- Exhibits high performance capability in an intellectual, creative, or artistic area;
- Possesses an unusual capacity for leadership; or
- Excels in a specific academic field.
Education Code 29.121Management Objective: The program staff will implement a curriculum framework that shall provide an array of appropriately challenging learning experiences for gifted and talented students in grades K through 12. Kindergarten students will receive enrichment in their regular classroom with a teacher who has 30 hours of gifted training.
Kindergarten-4th grade - Students will be instructed in the regular classroom for the four core curriculum areas. Gifted students will be placed with a teacher that has a minimum of 30 hours of gifted training. These students will also be served with other gifted students through a pull-out program. In addition, identified gifted, highly able students will be exposed to enrichment activities and higher order thinking skills activities for talent development.
Pre AP-GRADES 5-8 – Students will be offered services in the four core curriculum areas through the pre-AP/honors program.
ADVANCED ACADEMICS 9-12 – Students will be offered services in the four core curriculum areas through the pre-AP/ AP program, and concurrent college enrollment.
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The District designates and authorizes the following person as the ADA/Section 504 coordinator to be responsible for coordinating the District’s efforts to comply with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, which incorporates and expands upon the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, for students.
- Name: Emily Barnett
- Address: 1550 Ole Ambrose Road, Bells, TX 75414
- Email: ADA/Section 504 coordinator (emily.barnett@bellsisd.net)
Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, no otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. 29 U.S.C. 794(a)
A “student with a disability” is one who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the student’s major life activities, has a record of having such an impairment, or is being regarded as having such an impairment. The determination of whether an impairment substantially limits a major life activity shall be made without regard to the ameliorative effects of mitigating measures, such as medication, medical supplies, low-vision devices (which do not include ordinary eyeglasses or contact lenses), prosthetics, hearing aids, mobility devices, oxygen therapy, assistive technology, or learned behavioral or adaptive neurological modifications. An impairment that substantially limits one major life activity need not limit other major life activities in order to be considered a disability. An impairment that is episodic or in remission is a disability if it would substantially limit a major life activity when active.
The term “qualified individual with a disability” means an individual with a disability who, with or without reasonable modifications to rules, policies, or practices, the removal of architectural, communication, or transportation barriers, or the provision of auxiliary aids and services, meets the essential eligibility requirements for the receipt of services or the participation in programs or activities provided by a district. 42 U.S.C. 12131(2)
“Major life activities” include caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working. “Major life activity” also includes the operation of major bodily functions, including functions of the immune system, normal cell growth, and digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions. 42 U.S.C. 12102(2)
A district shall make reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures when the modifications are necessary to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability, unless the district can demonstrate that making the modifications would fundamentally alter the nature of the service, program, or activity.