Parents of young children with special needs in Laveen will say goodbye in May to one of their staunchest champions when Kandy Clauss, coordinator of the school district\u2019s developmental preschool program, retires after nearly four decades of teaching.<\/p>\n
Clauss came to Laveen in 2007 from the Tempe Elementary School District, where she had worked for 19 years teaching, first as a resource teacher and then as special needs preschool teacher in the early 1990s. That was when school districts first began implementing programs to meet the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. The ADA revamped and outlined specific criteria schools must meet to ensure all children received a meaningful public education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1975 (IDEA).<\/em><\/p>\n
\u201cI started working with the preschool population in about 1992-93. Schools were beginning to be required to start services at age 3, as part of IDEA,\u201d Clauss said. \u201cThe Tempe program was about a year old and they were hiring special education teachers for the preschool. I was ready for a new challenge and change and I had really enjoyed working with the younger age kids \u2013 kindergarten through second when I was a resource teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a twist of fate, the person hired for her former job as resource teacher in Tempe was Jonathan Clauss. The couple married in 1996, their dedication to working with children bringing them together outside the classroom. It was Jonathan who led them to Laveen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey created a position for me. Jonathan had interviewed for one of the teacher\u2019s positions at Laveen,\u201d Clauss recalled. When their Tempe principal gave her husband a glowing review, he also told Laveen officials they would be foolish not to hire Kandy as well.<\/p>\n