Annual Public Notice of
Special Education Services and Programs, Services for Gifted Students, and
Services for Protected Handicapped Students
(Revised July,
2018)
Notice to
Parents
According to state and federal
special education regulations, annual public notice to parents of children who
reside within a school district is required regarding child find
responsibilities. School districts (SDs), intermediate units (IUs) and charter schools
(CSs) are required to conduct child find activities for children who may be
eligible for services via Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. For
additional information related to Section 504/Chapter 15 services, the parent
may refer to Section 504, Chapter 15, and the Basic Education Circular entitled
Implementation of Chapter 15. Also, school districts are required to conduct
child find activities for children who may be eligible for gifted services via
22 Pa Code Chapter 16. For additional information regarding gifted services,
the parent may refer to 22 PA Code Chapter 16. If a student is both gifted and
eligible for Special Education, the procedures in IDEA and Chapter 14 shall
take precedence.
This notice shall inform parents
throughout the school district, intermediate unit, and charter school of the
child identification activities and of the procedures followed to ensure
confidentiality of information pertaining to students with disabilities or
eligible young children. In addition to this public notice, each school
district, intermediate unit, and charter school shall publish written
information in the handbook and on the web site. Children ages three through
twenty one can be eligible for special education programs and services. If parents
believe that the child may be eligible for special education, the parent should
contact the appropriate staff member identified at the end of this public
notice.
Children age three through the age of admission to first grade are also eligible if they have developmental delays and, as a result, need Special Education and related services. Developmental delay is defined as a child who is less than the age of beginners and at least 3 years of age and is considered to have a developmental delay when one of the following exists: (i) The child’s score, on a developmental assessment device, on an
assessment instrument which yields a score in months, indicates that the child is delayed by 25% of the child’s chronological age in one or more developmental areas. (ii) The child is delayed in one or more of the developmental areas, as documented by test performance of 1.5 standard deviations below the mean on standardized tests. Developmental areas include cognitive, communicative, physical, social/emotional and self-help. For additional information you may contact Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, Early Intervention Services, 2 West Lafayette Street, Norristown, PA 19401. The telephone number for the Early Intervention Program is (484) 685-1856.
Evaluation Process
Each school district, intermediate
unit, and charter school has a procedure in place by which parents can request
an evaluation. For information about procedures applicable to your child,
contact the school, which your child attends. Telephone numbers and addresses
can be found at the end of this notice. Parents of preschool age children, age
three through five, may request an evaluation in writing by addressing a letter
to the intermediate unit staff at Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, Early
Intervention Services, 2 West Lafayette Street, Norristown, PA 19401. The
telephone number for the Early Intervention Program is (484) 685-1856.
Consent
School entities cannot proceed
with an evaluation, or with the initial provision of special education and related
services, without the written consent of the parents. For additional
information related to consent, please refer the Procedural Safeguards Notice
which can be found at the PaTTAN website, www.Pattan.net.
Once written parental consent is
obtained, the district will proceed with the evaluation process. If the parent
disagrees with the evaluation, the parent can request an independent education
evaluation at public expense.
Program Development
Once the evaluation process is
completed, a team of qualified professional and parents determine whether the
child is eligible. If the child is eligible, the individualized education
program team meets, develops the program, and determines the educational placement.
Once the IEP team develops the program and determines the educational
placement, school district staff, intermediate unit staff, or charter school
staff will issue a notice of recommended educational placement/prior written
notice. Your written consent is required before initial services can be
provided. The parent has the right to revoke consent after initial placement.
Confidentiality of Information:
The SDs, IUs and CSs maintain
records concerning all children enrolled in the school, including students with
disabilities. All records are maintained in the strictest confidentiality. Your
consent, or consent of an eligible child who has reached the age of majority
under State law, must be obtained before personally identifiable information is
released, except as permitted under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act
(FERPA). The age of majority in Pennsylvania is 21. Each participating agency
must protect the confidentiality of personally identifiable information at
collection, storage, disclosure, and destruction stages. One official at each
participating agency must assume responsibility for ensuring the
confidentiality of any personally identifiable information. Each participating
agency must maintain, for public inspection, a current listing of the names and
positions of those employees within the agency who have access to personally
identifiable information.
In accordance with 34 CFR § 300.624, please be advised of the following retention/destruction schedule for the Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment (PASA), Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), and Keystone Exam related materials:
- PSSA, Keystone Exam,
and PASA test booklets will be destroyed
one year after student reports
are delivered for the administration associated with the test booklets.
- PSSA and Keystone
Exam answer booklets
and PASA media
recordings will be destroyed three years
after completion of the assessment.
For additional information
related to student records, the parent can refer to the Family Education Rights
and Privacy Act (FERPA).
This notice is only a summary of the Special Education services, evaluation and screening activities, and rights and protections pertaining to children with disabilities, children thought to be disabled, and their parents. For more information or to request evaluation or screening of a public or private school child contact the responsible school entity listed below. For preschool age children, information, screenings and evaluations requested, may be obtained by contacting the Intermediate Unit. The addresses of these schools are as follows:
Pottstown School District
230 Beech Street
Pottstown, PA 19464
(610) 970-6688
Intermediate Unit
Montgomery County Intermediate Unit
Early Intervention Services
2 West Lafayette Street
Norristown, PA 19401
(484) 685-1856