SSD Wins 2021 Business Health Culture Award

November 30, 2021 - Accessible online health resources and adherence to CDC guidelines were instrumental in garnering SSD the 2021 Business Health Culture Award from the St. Louis Area Business Health Coalition (BHC).

Ackerman Music Teacher Awarded $2,000 Grant from NEA Foundation

November 30, 2021 - Ackerman Music Teacher Stephanie Jones has been awarded a $2,000 grant from The NEA Foundation. The NEA Foundation is a public charity founded by educators to improve public education for all students. Since 2013, they have awarded $2.2 million in grants, supporting 39,000 educators and 627,000 students in 47 states.

Staff and Community Award Nominations Open Through Feb. 7, 2022

November 9, 2021 - Special School District has a long history of celebrating outstanding teachers, paraprofessionals, community members, and other SSD employees who stand out for their tremendous work in helping our students succeed. Each spring, the District honors these individuals with a number of awards.

Filing Opens Dec. 7 for Two Seats on SSD Board of Education

November 1, 2021 - Candidate filing for two open seats of the SSD Board of Education opens at 8 AM on Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021, and continues until 5 PM on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. The terms of current Board members Ms. Katie Pottroff, Subdistrict 3, and Scott Moeller, Subdistrict 4 expire in March 2022.

Family Engagement Month in SSD

November 1, 2021 - During the month of November, SSD will be celebrating Family Engagement Month, a time to recognize and celebrate our SSD families.

Self-Care Days for Students and Staff

October 27, 2021- A message to families and staff from Superintendent of School Dr. Elizabeth Keenan in regards to self-care days approved at the Oct. 26 Board of Education meeting.

SSD to Participate in International Great ShakeOut Drill

October 18, 2021 - Special School District of St. Louis County will participate in Great ShakeOut earthquake drills on October 21. The drill is part of SSD’s safety and security practices.

Fishing Field Trip Puts Students in Nature

September 28, 2021 - With cooperation from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and St. Louis County Parks, students and staff from Ackerman School of Special School District were able to soak in some sunshine while going fishing.

Seven SSD Teachers Awarded Grants from Missouri Retired Teachers Foundation

Aug. 30, 2021 - A total of eight SSD teachers and support personnel have been awarded grants from Missouri Retired Teachers Foundation (MRTF). MRTF is a not-for-profit organization devoted to raising funds to award grants to active teachers to enhance their classroom instruction, among other things. Last year, almost 100 grants were awarded to teachers across Missouri.

Haar Helps Paras Joining SSD

August 26, 2021 - Kevin Haar can often be found standing in front of the brightly lit windows of the Learning Center’s third-floor conference room as he welcomes newly hired SSD paraprofessionals (or commonly known as teacher assistants) to orientation. He greets new staff with granola bars and laptops as they stream in to begin their first day as a para for SSD. “I want them to know I am their ally, they can come to me with anything,” says Haar, who joined the Planning and Development team as our Paraprofessional Professional Learning Facilitator on July 1, 2021.

Zonar GPS Installed on All SSD Busses

August 18, 2021 - SSD’s transportation department added a new feature to its bus service: Zonar Advanced GPS. With the new system, SSD buses can now be tracked up-to-the-minute by the SSD dispatch team, as well as parents and students using the Stopfinder app.

SSD Ranks as Top Ten Regional Employer

August 12, 2021 - In St. Louis Business Journal’s July 2021 Employers and Who’s Who lists, Special School District ranked 10th among the region’s largest employers.

New Special School District Leadership for the 2021-22 School Year

August 11, 2021 - Special School District will start the 2021-22 school year with several new partner district directors, school principals, assistant principals, and district administrators.

SSD Earns 2021 Aetna Workplace Well-Being Award

SSD is proud to announce that we have received a Making a Difference Gold level Aetna Workplace Well-being Award. Our SSD Wellness team has a strong commitment to supporting and improving the physical and mental health of our employees. This award is the culmination of their dedicated work and our employees’ desire to make their well-being a priority.

2021-22 New Teacher Orientation

August 5, 2021 - Special School District was pleased to welcome 217 new employees to New Teacher Orientation (NTO), held at North Tech, from July 27-29. The three-day event focused on readying recent hires, ensuring they have the supports and resources they need using a mission titled Equip, Empower, Excel.