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Special Education Services

Special Education Services: An Overview

MRESC special education services are designed to support students from preschool through age 21 challenged by physical, mental and/or emotional disabilities. Our Special Education Leadership team members coordinate service delivery with district administrators, supervise and evaluate staff, and offer professional development programs.

Our Directors and staff consult with district personnel, provide direct instructional programming and delivers a wide variety of related services (e.g. Speech and Language Pathologist, OT, PT, Vision/Orientation and Mobility, School Psychology, School Nursing, and Audiology).

Services are delivered in either one-on-one, small group or classroom settings, and are based on the service agreement between individual school districts and the MRESC.

Note: Services vary by county and/or district of residence. For more information, please contact your school district’s special education director or a member of our special education leadership team.

An Overview of Our Philosophy & Approach

Midwest Regional ESC is committed to helping our districts provide an “appropriate education” for all of students in Shelby, Logan, and Hardin Counties through our portfolio of special education programs. Special education is a needs-based program; that is, the specific services and the setting in which services are provided are determined for each student based on individual needs.

Special education students are provided services in the least restrictive environment. Depending on individual needs, a student may receive services in a variety of settings in district or out of district. These settings may include, but not be limited to, the regular classroom, a special education resource room, a community setting, a separate school or facility, the home, or a combination of these settings.

The IEP (Individualized Education Program) team (headed by a District’s Director of Special Education and which includes parents, the building principal, teachers, specialists, and personnel from the Educational Service Center determines each child’s placement. This team also reviews a student’s ETR and develops/updates each child’s IEP. IEP team’s meet regularly to review the placement and progress of each special education student.

The ESC provides a range of services for children identified as needing special education services and the teachers who have those children in their regular classroom. These services are designed to provide an appropriate educational program for all students. For more information, please contact your district administrator or a member of our special education leadership team (listed below).

Special Education Leadership Team

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Craig Ludwig

Director of Special Education

 Email: cludwig@mresc.org

Jeanie Riethman

Student Services Administrator

Email: jriethman@mresc.org

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Connie Schneider

Director of Special Education

Email: cschneider@mresc.org

Meaghen Tidwell

Director of Special Education

Email: mtidwell@mresc.org

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Lori Berger

Early Childhood Director

Email: lberger@mresc.org

cludwig@mresc.org

937-498-1354

Craig Ludwig

Director of Special Education

Craig Ludwig is the Director of Special Education for the Midwest Regional Educational Service Center. He graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education. He then obtained his Master’s Degree In Special Education from Wright State University with a concentration in mild to moderate disabilities.

In 2011, he obtained his k-12 principal liscense from Wright State Univerity.Prior to serving in his current leadership role with the ESC, he taught Special Education classes at Waynesfield-Goshen Local Schools in Auglaize county.

jriethman@mresc.org

937-498-1354

Jeanie Riethman

Student Services Administrator

Jeanie Riethman, a 1987 alumni of Fort Loramie High School, is our Student Services Administrator for the Midwest Regional Educational Service Center. She provides special education, gifted and curriculum services to Fort Loramie, Hardin-Houston and Russia Local School Districts. Jeanie has been in education for 27 years, first as an Intervention Specialist for Hardin-Houston Schools before moving onto the ESC.

Jeanie received her Bachelor of Science degree from Bowling Green State University in Special Education and she also received her Masters in Educational Leadership from Wright State University and Administration license from University of Dayton.

cschneider@mresc.org

937-498-1354

Connie Schneider

Director of Special Education

Connie Schneider serves as the Director of Special Education for the Midwest Regional ESC at the Simon Kenton School in Kenton, Ohio. Simon Kenton School is operated by the Hardin County Board of DD. She supervises the staff of three school age units. In addition, she is the Youth Liaison for the MRESC. In this capacity she coordinates Academia, as well as other county-wide initiatives such as the Honda Academic Achievement Breakfast. She works with the Workforce Partnership of Shelby County to place students in both job shadowing and internship opportunities.

Connie Schneider graduated from Ohio Northern University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French with a minor in sociology. She is certified to teach French and comprehensive Social Studies. She completed additional course work at The Ohio State University and Wright State University. She earned her Master of Arts in educational administration from the University of Dayton. She worked as a teacher and administrator at Botkins Local School District. Connie is an advocate for all children, Connie enjoys working with students and always encourages them to achieve to the best of their ability.

During her free time, Connie enjoys reading, gardening, and spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren.

mtidwell@mresc.org

937-498-1354

Meaghen Tidwell

Director of Special Education

Meaghen Tidwell is the Director of Special Education for Indian Lake Local Schools and Logan County. Mrs. Tidwell received her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education with an emphasis on Math and Social Studies. She continued her education at Wright State University where she earned her Master’s Degree in Special Education.

After teaching Special Education for nearly a decade, Mrs. Tidwell returned to secondary education to pursue a second Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership at Norte Dame College. During her years in the classroom, Mrs. Tidwell served in a number of capacities. She has taught PK-6 grade and 10-12 grade special education, in all subjects.

Mrs. Tidwell has also taught a diverse population of students with disabilities to include Autism, Multiple Disabilities, Downs Syndrome, Hearing Impairment, Emotional Disturbances, and other Low Incidence disability types. Mrs. Tidwell is also familiar and experienced in a number of instructional and behavioral strategies that she uses to her advantage when she is coaching her intervention specialists.

Mrs. Tidwell continues to stay abreast the ever-changing laws in education and special education by attending several professional development opportunities annually and legal updates on a quarterly basis.

Meaghen resides in Sidney, OH with her husband Justin “JT” Tidwell. She is the proud mother of three amazing children and two fur babies. In her spare time, Meaghen teaches dance, her most passionate hobby, at Boyd Dance Studios where she gets her “teaching and creative fix”.

lberger@mresc.org

937-498-1354

Lori Berger

Early Childhood Director
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