HAZELWOOD — Hazelwood School District is considering whether it should do what no other school district in St. Louis County has done — run its own special education department.

District officials heard a presentation on what in-house special education services could involve during a school board meeting on Sept 2.

Such a move — which district leaders stressed was not a possibility for the near future — would represent a significant shift away from the unique special education system St. Louis County has used for the past 70 years.

It would require a break from Special School District of St. Louis County, the largest provider of special education in the state, which services the county’s 22 school districts.

No district in the county has stepped away from Special School District, or SSD

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