Bear Paw Cooperative

In 1975, Congress enacted Public Law 94-142, also known as The Education for All Handicapped Children Act.  This ensured that all children with disabilities would "have a right to education, and to establish a process by which State and local education agencies may be held accountable for providing educational services for all handicapped children."  This law has been reauthorized several times, most recently in 2004 as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  

With the passage of  P.L. 94-142, the first special education cooperative in our region was created and known as Northern Montana Regional Services.  It was based in the original library room of Chinook High School.

In 1977, the "Sunset Clause" phased out federal funding of regional service units and required school districts to become financially supporting members, through federal grants, of special education units.  At this point, Northern Montana Regional Services became known as the Bear Paw Learning Resource Center and was overseen by a "host" superintendent.  The first official Director of the Bear Paw Learning Resource Center hired in 1979 and, in the Fall of 1985, the Bear Paw Learning Resource Center became a special education cooperative under the supervision of its own governing board and was moved to the old Carnegie Library building, in which it remains to this day.

On May 21, 1987, the Bear Paw Cooperative was officially recognized by the Montana Office of Public Instruction as a special education entity.  We have grown from a staff of 1 secretary, 1 school psychologist, and 1 resource teacher in 1975, to a current staff of 1 director, 1 administrative assistant, and 1 business manager; 4 school psychologists; 5 speech-language pathologists; 2 itinerant special education teachers; 1 early childhood special education coordinator; 7 speech-language therapy assistants; a preschool screening team of 4; and contracted services for occupational therapy and physical therapy.

We take pride in the services we have provided for the past 49 years and look forward to continuing the delivery of quality educational services to the students, families, schools and communities of our region for the years to come.