As required by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), San Mateo Union High School District provides a continuum of services for students with disabilities.  Some services for students with moderate/severe disabilities are provided in conjunction with the San Mateo County Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) or with North County Mental Health.  All programs are open to students in grades 9-12.  Not all programs are provided at each campus; students are placed through the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process in the program that best meets their needs.  Most students in Special Education at Capuchino qualify for services due to a Specific Learning Disability, Emotional Disturbance, Speech and Language Impairment, Hearing Impairment/Deafness, or Other Health Impairment, but some are identified as having a Traumatic Brain Injury, Visual Impairment, and others.

    The services available at Capuchino are the Resource Specialist Program (RSP) and the Special Day Class (SDC).  RSP students generally require specialized assistance less than 50% of the school day; SDC students require assistance for than 50% of the day. Students are placed through their IEP in the Least Restrictive Environment.  Services range from a Directed Studies class for individualized tutoring and skill development, to various curriculum classes in both the RSP and SDC programs. Special Education content classes are aligned with the state standards but are taught using modifications and accommodations at a slower pace. There are eight Special Day Classes at Capuchino, four serving students who have Learning Handicaps (LH), one serving those who have Severe Disorders of Language (SDL), one self-contained class serving students with behavior issues and two serving students county-wide who are Deaf/Hearing Impaired (HIP)/multi-handicapped.  Other related services offered are Speech and Language Services, Vocational Services, and Mental Health Services, among others.