• The Central Intermediate Unit (CIU) Special Education Department assists member schools in meeting the educational needs of students with disabilities. Special education services include programming for preschool, elementary, and secondary students who have Individual Education Plans (IEPs). 

    Itinerant staff members provide services to eligible students, including speech therapy, occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), teachers of the hearing impaired, teachers of the visually impaired, special physical education, educational interpreters, and personal care aides.  Services typically include assessment for eligibility, program planning, direct therapy, and consultation. Services may be provided in an individual and/or group setting as determined by the IEP team.  The CIU provides these services to schools on a contractual basis.

    The CIU provides special education and regular education services in our three county prisons, located in Bellefonte, Clearfield, and Lock Haven for students that are under the age of 21 and have not received their high school diploma, as well as services at the Centre County Youth Detention Center in Bellefonte.

    The CIU employs Social Workers and School Psychologists that provide services across our three counties. 

    The CIU provides training and consultation services (TaC) to school districts in partnership with the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), Bureau of Special Education (BSE). 

    TaC services are currently offered in the areas of:

    • Assistive Technology (AT)
    • Autism (ASD)
    • Behavior
    • Inclusive Practices (LRE)
    • Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)
    • Secondary Transition

  • Contact:

    Erin Cernuska, M.Ed.

    Director of Special Education and Non-Public Student Services

    [email protected]

    814-342-0884