SPECIAL EDUCATION A REVIEW OF:  CHILD FIND/ SPED PROCESS  FERPA AND CONFIDENTIALITY  LENGTH OF SCHOOL DAY

CHILD FIND

WHAT IS CHILD FIND? Child Find is a statewide effort by the Alabama State Department of Education and the Department of Rehabilitation Services to locate, identify, and evaluate children with disabilities from birth to age 21.

WHO CAN MAKE A REFERRAL? A parent of a child or a public agency may initiate a request for an initial evaluation to determine if the child is a child with a disability. Intervention strategies (RTI) are implemented for 8 weeks and data collected for student prior to the eligibility meeting.

What are the Avenues for Making a Referral? A referral may be made:  Over the phone  Through the mail  During a parent-teacher conference  By school personnel, e.g., classroom teacher, guidance counselor, bus driver, etc. (following Problem Solving Team guidelines)  By anyone knowledgeable of the child

REFERRAL PROCESS  A referral begins with the date that the parent signs the Consent to Evaluate. The total Process from Referral to IEP development is 120 days.

IEP TEAM  The IEP TEAM makes decisions about eligibility, evaluations, and programming for the student. IEP TEAM consist of:  General Education Teacher  SPED Teacher  LEA Rep  Parent

ELIGIBILITY  Alabama has thirteen areas of disabilities that a child may qualify for SPED Services. Eligibility is a TWO Prong Process:  Student must have a defined disability under AAC criteria  Student must be in need of specialized instruction (academic or social need)

FERPA AND CONFIDENTIALITY OF STUDENT RECORDS

What is FERPA? FERPA is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and is a federal law that was enacted in FERPA protects the privacy of student education records. All educational institutions that receive federal funding must comply with FERPA.

What are students' rights under FERPA?  FERPA gives students four basic rights with respect to their education record: The right to control disclosure of their education record The right to review their education record The right to request amendment of inaccurate or misleading portions of their education record The right to file a complaint regarding non- compliance of FERPA with the Family Policy Compliance Office of the U.S. Department of Education

Primary Rights of Parents under FERPA  Right to inspect and review education records  Right to seek to amend education records  Right to consent to the disclosure of information from education records, except as provided by law

What are "education records"?  Directly related to a student  Maintained by an educational agency or institution or by a party acting for the agency or institution  Records on a student receiving services under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are “education records” subject to FERPA  Medical or health related records are “education records” subject to FERPA

“Personally identifiable information”  The student’s name  The name of the student’s parent or other family members  A personal identifier, such as the student’s social security number, student number, or biometric record  Other indirect identifiers, such as the student’s date of birth, place of birth, and mother’s maiden name

“Personally identifiable information,” (cont’d)  Other information that, alone or in combination, is linked or linkable to a specific student that would allow a reasonable person in the school community, who does not have personal knowledge of the relevant circumstances, to identify the student with reasonable certainty  Information requested by a person who the educational agency or institution reasonably believes knows the identity of the student to whom the education records relates

LENGTH OF SCHOOL DAY  FAPE issue  Must meet requirements for full school day, as with regular ed. students, unless otherwise stated on the IEP  IEP must designate what is best for the child, not what is best for transportation

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  ALL INFORMATION AND FORMS DISCUSSED TODAY MAY BE VIEWED AT:  FTPAYK12.ORG  DISTRICT DEPARTMENTS  SPECIAL EDUCATION

If you have any questions please contact: Dr. Sharon D. Streeter 334=