Special Education Staff


At Pleasant Valley, we closely follow the guidance from the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners (BOEE) to ensure that we hire teachers with the right credentials to meet job requirements. We follow federal and state guidelines, and there is not a lot of wiggle room there. We often refer to this great resource from the BOEE. The links on this website carefully explain each of the endorsements for special education.

BOEE Endorsement Website


Typically, we hire special education teachers with one of these endorsements:

  • Pk-3 Including Special Education
  • Early Childhood Special Education
  • Instructional Strategist I: Mild/Moderate
  • Instructional Strategist II: Behavior Disorder/Learning Disabilities
  • Instructional Strategist II: Intellectual Disabilities
  • Instructional Strategist II: Physical Disabilities

Bridgeview Preschool

Bailie Baker

Early Child Special Education/PreSchool Teacher

Miranda Copley

Early Child Special Education/PreSchool Teacher

Bridgeview Elementary

Linda Heiselman

Special Education Teacher

Karen Kuriger

Teacher of the Deaf/Resource

Cody Elementary

Shannon Harty

Special Education Teacher

Traci Keppy

Special Education Teacher

Barbara Sollars

Special Education Teacher

High School

Lori Duncan

Special Education Teacher

Neal Green

Special Education Teacher

Thomas Isaacson

Special Education Teacher, HS Wrestling - Girls Head Coach

Gina Meadows

Special Education Teacher

Zach Paustian

Special Education Teacher

Gina Weaver

Special Education Teacher

Hopewell Preschool

Michaela Conover

Early Child Special Education/PreSchool Teacher

Meredith Kennedy

Early Child Special Education/PreSchool Teacher

Liliana Vital

Early Child Special Education/PreSchool Teacher

Hopewell Elementary

Bailey Hocker

Special Education Teacher

Lindsay Moore

Special Education Teacher

Barb Schadt

Special Education Teacher

Junior High School

Jamie Branch

Special Education Teacher

Katie Casper

Special Education Teacher

Jennifer Goetz

Special Education Teacher, HS Girls Head Basketball Coach

Tobias Jessen

Special Education Teacher

Avery Kitchen

Special Education Teacher

Jenny Lauritsen

Special Education Teacher

  • sites.google.com/a/student.pleasval.k12.ia.us/heitzla/ (opens in new window)

Amber Welvaert

Special Education Teacher

Pleasant View Elementary

Beth Rice

Special Education Teacher

Teresa Sack

Special Education Teacher

Bethany Sanders

Special Education Teacher

Chelsea St. Claire

Special Education Teacher

Riverdale Heights Elementary

Tiffany Pedersen

Special Education Teacher

Kelly Pennekamp

Special Education Teacher

Melissa Schieffer

Special Education Teacher