|
Mt. Lebanon Special Education Department
Special Education Services
Mt. Lebanon School District provides free, appropriate public education to special education students at no cost to parents. To qualify as a special education student, the child must be of school age, in need of specially designed instruction, and meet eligibility criteria for mentally gifted and/or one or more of the following physical or mental disabilites as defined by Pennsylvania State standards: autism, deaf-blindness, deafness, emotional disturbance, hearing impairment, mental retardation, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, traumatic brain injury, or visual impairment including blindness.
The following brochure explains programs and services for students who meet the eligibility criteria for mental giftedness: Providing for the Gifted Brochure
Screening
The Mt. Lebanon School District routinely conducts visual acuity screening for all students at each grade level and hearing acuity in kindergarten, grades 1,2,3,7,11, and upon referral or when there is a known hearing loss. Speech and Language skills are screened for all students in first grade, for all newly enrolled students, as well as on a referral basis. The Instructional Support Team facilitates screening activities for students who demonstrate at-risk academic and/or behavioral concerns. Gross motor, fine motor, academic skills, and social/emotional development are continuously assessed by classroom teachers. Results from screening are recorded in the child's official file. Screening information may be used by the Mt. Lebanon Instructional Support Team to plan, implement and monitor appropriate interventions to assist the student's progress in the general curriculum.
Evaluation
When screening results suggest that a student might be a student with a disability, the school district seeks parental consent to conduct a multidisciplinary evaluation through the Permission to Evaluate form which is accompanied by the Procedural Safeguards Notice. The Procedural Safeguards Notice describes the educational right of the parent and the student. The school district utilizes identification procedures to ensure eligible students receive an appropriate educational program consisting of special education and related services, individualized to meet student needs. The multidisciplinary evaluation is a process of gathering information and completing assessments necesarry to determine the presence of a disability according to state and federal definitions, dtermine the need for special education services and generate reccommendations for the student's program. Parent input is requested and assessments and interviews are conducted by school psychologists, teachers and specialists as necesarry to obtain information about a student's functionng needs. Once the evaluation is completed and Evaluation Report is prepared and explained tot he parents by the school psychologist. The entire multidisciplinary evaluation process must be completed within sixty school days.
Parents who suspect their child is a student with a disability may request a multidisciplinary evaluation at any time through a written request to the school principal. The reason for requesting a multidisciplinary evaluation should be stated in the request. Questions regarding the evaluation of students for special education should be directed to the building principal.
Individualized Education Plan
After the parent has indicated agreement with the ER, the school district issues the Invitation to Participate in the IEP Team Meeting or Other Meeting, to notify and invite parents and students to participate in the Individual Education Program. The ER is reviewed and an IEP is developed. The IEP team must consist of the following members: the parents/guardians, a school administrator, a special education teacher, and a regular education teacher. The supervisor of special education, and other teachers or specialists may attend the IEP team meeting as necesarry and appropriate. Students age 16 or older, or younger if a transition plan is being discussed are required members of the IEP team and efforts are made to ensure their participation. The IEP is developed wtihin thirty calendar days of completion of the ER and implemented ten school days of the IEP meeting date.
Recommended Educational Placement
Upon the completion of the IEP team meeting and development of the IEP, parents are presented with the school district's Notice of Recommended Educational Placement (NOREP) which indicates the placement program, or services recommended for the child. Parents may choose to agree or disagree with the recommendation of the NOREP. Opportunity to resolve disagreements is provided throuhg informal meetings, conferences mediation, a pre-hearing conference, or a due process hearing.
Special Education Program and Services
The school district provides the following programs and services: autistic support, blind or visually impaired support, deaf or hearing impaired support, multiple disabilities support, physical support, speech and language support. Level of intervention includes: itinerant, resource, part-time and fulltime, within the district or at a location other than the regular school outside of the school district. The extent of special education services and the location for the delivery of such services are determined by the IEP team and are based on the student's identified abilities, needs chronological age, and level of intensity of the specified intervention. The school district also provides related services such as transportation, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language services required for the student to benefit from the special education program.
|
