Southeastern Cooperative Educational Programs (SECEP)

Southeastern Cooperative Educational Programs (SECEP) is a public school agency providing specialized settings, curriculum, and services for five distinct groups of students. Norfolk Public Schools, as a member school division, has assigned one Norfolk Public School Board member to sit on the SECEP Joint Board along with a school board member from the other participating school divisions of Chesapeake, Franklin City, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, Southampton, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach.

The Autism Spectrum Program (ASP) is SECEP’s program for children with autism and provides services in a comprehensive school self-contained classroom to students who have moderate to severe symptoms of autism. This program stresses the importance of parental involvement as collaborators in their child's educational process.

The Educational and Behavioral Interventions for Challenging Students (EBICS) Program is SECEP’s program designed to serve students with challenging behaviors who have been identified as having multiple disabilities, which typically includes moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. EBICS services are provided primarily in a comprehensive school self-contained classroom.

The Re-Ed Program is SECEP’s center-based program designed for students with emotional disabilities who need a more restrictive setting than their self-contained class in the comprehensive school setting.

The Raising Expectations and Abilities for Children with Complex Health Needs (REACH) program is SECEP’s center-based program on the sites of St. Mary’s Home and Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital located in Norfolk.  SECEP provides the educational services for children and adolescents who are residents of these two facilities ensuring that each Individualized Education Program (IEP) is implement to allow students to engage in their instruction based on the Virginia Standards or Aligned Standards of Learning (SOL or ASOL).

Placement in either the SECEP ASP, EBICS, Re-ED, or REACH programs is through a placement decision made by the student’s Norfolk Public Schools Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team, which includes the student’s parent or legal guardian.

The SECEP Tidewater Regional Alternative Education Program (TRAEP) is a center-based program for students who need an alternative placement due to discipline issues.  Students are placed in the TRAEP program based on a decision by Norfolk Public Schools in response to a long-term suspension or expulsion from the comprehensive school. Upon successful completion of the alternative placement program, the student can petition Norfolk Public Schools to return to his/her comprehensive school.