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Special Education Handbook
2012-2013
III. CHILD FIND

In accordance with federal law, the District assumes responsibility for the location, identification and evaluation of all children birth through age 21 who reside within the district and who require special education and related services.

This includes students who are:
    (1) Advancing from grade to grade;
    (2) Enrolled by their parents in private elementary or private secondary schools, including religious schools, located in our District (regardless of the severity of their disability);
    (3) Wards of the state and children who are highly mobile, such as migrant and homeless children; and
    (4) Home-schooled.

A. RESPONSIBILITY FOR DETERMINING ELIGIBILITY

In the District, the Evaluation Team ensures that the student meets the eligibility requirements of IDEA and state regulations.

In all cases, the Evaluation Team will not determine that a student has a disability if the suspected disability is because of a lack of instruction in reading or math. If the student is not proficient in English, the District will not identify the student as disabled if the limited English proficiency (LEP) is the cause of the suspected disability.

B. CHILD IDENTIFICATION PROCESS

(1) GENERAL

The District has a child identification process that includes the location, identification and evaluation of a child suspected of having a disability. __________________________________ (title of individual or department) coordinates the child identification process. The department and its staff use a variety of community resources and systematic activities in order to identify children requiring special services. District staff members consult with appropriate representatives of private school students attending private schools located in the District in carrying out this process. The District ensures that this process for students attending private or religious schools located in the District is comparable to activities undertaken for students with disabilities in the public schools.

(2) IDENTIFICATION OF CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES OF BIRTH TO AGE 3.

When the District becomes aware of a child between the ages of birth to 3 who has or may have a disability, it either:
    (a) Makes a child referral directly to the county family and children first council responsible for implementing the “Help Me Grow” (HMG) early intervention services under Part C of the IDEA; and/or
    (b) Provides the parents with the information so that they can make the referral themselves.
evaluation from the District to determine if their child has a disability that may require special education. These parents are entitled to an evaluation from the District, even if the child is between the ages of birth to 3. The District is responsible for providing an evaluation but is not responsible for the provision of FAPE for an eligible child until the child is age 3.

(3) TRANSITION TO SPECIAL EDUCATION FROM HELP ME GROW (HMG).

The District and the county family and children first council responsible for HMG have a current interagency agreement that includes processes for the referral of children from HMG to the District. The District has an assigned transition contact, ________________________________, who is the primary person responsible for contact with HMG regarding children transitioning from that program.
    (a) If invited by a representative of HMG (and with parent permission), a District representative attends a transition conference to discuss transition from early intervention services to preschool for a child suspected of having a disability.
    (b) If the parents request, the District invites the Part C service coordinator to the initial IEP meeting.
If there is a suspected disability and the child is eligible for special education and related services as a preschool child, the District works to ensure that an IEP is in place and implemented by the child’s third birthday. In the case of children who are 45 days or less from their 3rd birthdays and who are suspected of having disabilities, an evaluation is completed within 60 days of parental consent, but an IEP is not required by their third birthdays.

As part of the IEP process, the IEP team determines if extended school year services are required for the preschool child.

(4) COORDINATION WITH OTHER AGENCIES.

The District has interagency agreements with Head Start programs within the school district’s service delivery that provide for:
    (a) Service coordination for preschool children with disabilities, 3 through 5 years of age, in a manner consistent with the state interagency agreement for service coordination with Head Start; and
    (b) Transition of children eligible for special education and related services as a preschool child at age 3.
The District also has interagency agreements with the relevant county board(s) of MR/DD for identification, service delivery and financial responsibilities to adequately serve preschool children with disabilities 3 through 5 years of age.

C. DATA COLLECTION

The District maintains an education management information system and submits data to ODE pursuant to rule 3301-14-01 of the Administrative Code. The District’s collection of data includes information needed to determine if significant disproportionality based on race and ethnicity is occurring in the District with respect to the identification of children as children with disabilities, the placement of children in educational settings and the incidence, duration and type of disciplinary actions.