In February of 1938, Dr. J. P. Lord School has officially started. It was formed under the combined efforts of the Nebraska Society for Crippled Children and the Omaha Public Schools.

The school was named in honor of Dr. John P. Lord, a professor of anatomy and surgery at Creighton University, and a professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the Medical department of the University of Nebraska.
As our school opened, Dr. Lord contributed his knowledge and work to ensure an education for children with physical conditions. The original site was in a vacant room at Field Club School. The students at J.P. Lord had special needs as a result of polio, congenital anomaly, rheumatic fever, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, amputation, epilepsy, paralysis, and defects of heart, hearing, speech, and vision.

Our school is a self-contained building serving the most medically fragile multi-handicapped students in our district. Our students range in age from 5-21. Students have specialized needs which require additional staff and support. Individualized education plans stress the functional curriculum in the areas of mobility, communication skills, and life skills, as well as social, recreational, and leisure domains.

Our students come from all over our district and are also contracted from other school districts. We have approximately 60 students in our building. We have eight classroom teachers, two nurses, one speech pathologist, 24 paraprofessionals, physical and occupational therapists, traveling art, music, library, and physical education teachers. We host a number of tours each year for outside agencies and various educational institutions. Throughout the school year, students from local middle and high schools volunteer in our building.