SELPA stands for Special Education Local Plan Area. In 1977, California required all school districts and county offices of education to join together into geographical regions large enough to meet the special education needs of children within their boundaries. Each region then developed a local plan describing how it would deliver those services.
The Humboldt-Del Norte SELPA is one such region, a two-county SELPA on California’s northernmost coast. It begins approximately 200 miles north of San Francisco and extends to the Oregon border, covering 5,282 square miles bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Trinity and Klamath National Forests to the east. Within its boundaries are beaches, State and National Redwood Parks, and 11 federally recognized tribes and rancherias, including the Bear River Band of Rohnerville Rancheria, Big Lagoon Rancheria, Blue Lake Rancheria, Cher-Ae Heights of the Trinidad Rancheria, Elk Valley Rancheria, Hoopa Valley Tribe, Karuk Tribe, Resighini Rancheria, Smith River Rancheria, Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, Wiyot Tribe, and Yurok Tribe, as well as population centers like Eureka and Crescent City, and Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata.
The SELPA is made up of 31 school districts (Local Education Agencies, or LEAs) and multiple charter schools, including the Humboldt County Office of Education and the Del Norte County Office of Education. It serves approximately 22,000 students, including roughly 4,200 students with special needs from birth to age 22. Every SELPA designates an Administrative Unit, the legal entity that receives funding, and for Humboldt-Del Norte SELPA, that role is filled by the Humboldt County Office of Education.
The SELPA carries out a wide range of responsibilities on behalf of the region’s students and families. We provide services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and support community-based services for transition-age youth ages 18 to 22. We coordinate support for students with low-incidence disabilities or mental health needs, and work to identify and develop services for children ages 0 to 22 with disabilities, ensuring high-quality placements and specialized services throughout the region. The SELPA also ensures compliance with IDEA mandates, manages due process disputes, and submits state and federal reports on behalf of local educational agencies. We distribute funding equitably across districts with disparate population demographics, size, geography, and resources, and serve as a liaison between local educational agencies and state and federal government, allowing for locally sensitive agreements while easing administrative, planning, and financial burdens on individual districts. This work is guided by a collaborative decision-making process that includes the voices of local district superintendents and parents.
Looking ahead, the Humboldt-Del Norte SELPA remains committed to building a single, coherent system of educational supports, grounded in best practices, creative solutions, and a continued focus on transparency and accountability.
SELPA Responsibilities
SELPA responsibilities include, but not limited to:
- Adherence and development of the Local Plan
- Superintendent’s Special Education Policy Council
- Community Advisory Committee (CAC)
- Professional Development
- Procedural Safeguards
- Data Collection and Management – Compliance with IDEA
- Fiscal Management
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Support with the understanding of the IEP process
- Facilitated IEPs
- Support LEAs in Providing a Continuum of Services