The Special Education Department is an active, fully staffed component of MHS, serving the needs of our special education students. Each student has his or her own Individual Education Program (IEP), which is arrived at through a collaborative effort of school and district staff, teachers, parents and students (when appropriate). The program serves the needs of all special education students, from those with moderate to severe disabilities, including autism and developmental delays, to those with mild to moderate learning disabilities, emotional disturbance, attention challenges, etc.

The Special Education Department employs a combination of self-contained, inclusive and collaborative service delivery models. Students are placed in the least restrictive environment that meets their individual needs. Whenever possible, students are included in general education classrooms.

Special education teachers and staff, including DIS providers such as Speech and Language Pathologist, Learning Resource Center Specialist, OT, PT, APE, etc. collaborate with one another and with general education teachers to support student learning. Special education staff may accompany students into general education classrooms when appropriate. All of MHS's special education teachers are credentialed and trained to accommodate and modify the curriculum and instruction to meet their students’ needs. Trained instructional assistants, or paraprofessionals, adroitly assist the classroom teachers. The department is supported by the Malibu Special Education Foundation.