SAR ACADEMY: A PARENT S GUIDE TO WORKING WITH THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Transcription

1 SAR ACADEMY: A PARENT S GUIDE TO WORKING WITH THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Introduction Children living in New York State and attending school in New York City (NYC) may be entitled to special education services provided by New York City s Department of Education (DOE). The Department of Education is also known as the Board of Education (BOE). If you live in New Jersey, your child may be eligible to receive some services from New York City, but it is recommended that you apply through both District 10 and your home district. SAR Academy lies in Region 1, School District 10 of NYC, and it is this district that will determine your child s access to special education services. A child may be found eligible for special education services if the DOE determines that s/he has a disability (whether mental, physical, or emotional) that effects the child s ability to learn. Possible disabilities can include: autism, learning disability, hearing impairment, orthopedic impairment, speech or language impairment, and emotional disturbance. This guide provides information for children ages five an upwards. If your child is younger than five, the procedure is somewhat different, and we recommend you look at the following publication for further guidance: Step 1: Initial Referral for Special Education Services Before contacting the DOE directly, we urge you to speak with both your child s teacher and Grade Guidance Counselor (see contact information below), to determine if this is the correct educational approach for your child. In order to open a case with the DOE, you must make a referral to the chairperson of the Committee on Special Education (CSE) in District 10 (currently Rosetta Brownlee). Every school district in the state has a CSE, and it is the job of the CSE to decide on a child s educational needs and services. The form that you will need to complete to make the referral is attached to this guide. Speech and Language and/or Occupational Therapy evaluations must be specifically requested. If you are requesting Occupational Therapy services you need to attach a letter from your pediatrician to your referral. If your child had a private evaluation,

2 attach the evaluation to your referral form and the DOE may use your evaluation or perform their own. It is their choice. If your child has already received services from another district prior to coming to SAR, a request must be made prior to June 1 for services in the upcoming school year. A copy of your child s current Individualized Education program (IEP) should be attached to the referral form. Please mail form to: Rosetta BrownLee Chairperson Committee on Special Education One Fordham Plaza Bronx, NY Step 2: Evaluation Process You will be contacted by the DOE for an evaluation appointment. Please allow several weeks for a response. The evaluations are typically done at a DOE site. Evaluations often include a psycho-educational assessment and assessments of speech and language, fine motor, gross motor, sensory, behavioral and social functioning. Recommendations can include speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, counseling, and/ or SETSS (Special Education Teacher Support Services). At the DOE, your child will be tested for Intelligence Quotient and general school achievement. Language and speech tests take place at a later time. OT evaluations are done at an outside agency or at SAR. Step 3: Determine Eligibility Once the evaluation process is completed, a team consisting of the parents and DOE clinicians will meet to review the results of the evaluation (this is referred to as a CSE Review ). The DOE will notify you in writing of the upcoming meeting. If you cannot attend on the selected date, you can call the district and ask for the date to be changed. Please note that parents have the right to see the results of the testing before the meeting takes place. If you have not received a copy of the testing results, you can call the district and request that it be mailed to you. You cannot have the results faxed, therefore it is imperative that you call the MOMENT you receive the notification of the upcoming meeting. Once you receive the results, your child s Grade Guidance Counselor immediately, so you can discuss how to prepare for the meeting.

3 You are entitled to bring any materials you desire to the meeting. Materials can range anywhere from letters from the school to people such as an attorney, a friend, or a teacher. You are also entitled to have people join the meeting by telephone. Based on results of the evaluation, at the meeting, the team will decide if your child is eligible to receive special education services and programs. If your child qualifies for services, testing accommodations can be mandated at this time. After the CSE meeting, DOE may send a form for parents to sign and return that is permission to provide service, this must be signed and returned in order for RSA and/or P4 forms to be generated. Step 4: Individualized Education Program (IEP) If your child is eligible to receive special education or related services, the team will develop an appropriate IEP, based on the evaluation results, to meet the needs of the student. If you live outside New York City, the document will be called Individualized Education Service Program (IESP). You will receive a copy of this IEP or IESP. Please make a copy and give it to Michal Mazurek. An RSA (related service agreement) and/or P3/P4 form will be mailed to you at a later date. If you do not get your RSA in the mail you may have to go to the DOE to pick up the RSA yourself. You need to give the agency or service provider that you will be working with the RSA sheet, in order for services to begin. If you do not receive this form after several weeks please call Michal Mazurek. Once you have your child s IEP, we recommend that you set up a meeting with the school (e.g. your child s grade guidance counselor) to discuss how you should go about implementing the IEP and the best way to get your child the help s/he needs. At SAR we have board certified speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and counseling personnel Step 5: Annual Review/Re-evaluation Once a year a meeting is held at SAR to review your child s IEP, and, if need be, modify or revise it. You will receive a letter from the district advising you when this meeting will take place. Michal Mazurek is the contact person for this annual review, so all concerns/questions should be directed directly to her, and not directly with the district. Only small changes can be made at the annual review such as testing accommodations. If you want to add or subtract services from the IEP you must formally request a reopening and have a meeting at the district.

4 Every third year your child will need to be reevaluated by the district. The district is responsible for notifying you of this reevaluation. Important Contact Information: SAR Guidance Counselors: ELC: Harriet Levin Social Psychologist (718) extension 1218 Grades 1-2: Dr. Adina Shrage School Psychologist (718) extension 1424 Grades 3-4: Shani Gold Social Worker (718) extension 1454 Grade 5: Joyce Rosenthal Social Worker (718) Grade 6: Reva Tokayer Social Worker (718) extention 1284 Grades 7-8: Rebecca Hirschfield Associate Principal, General Studies Middle School (718) extension 1266

5 Contact to Department of Education: Michal Mazurek (718) extension 1214 At District 10: Rosetta Brown-Lee Chairperson Committee on Special Education One Fordham Plaza Bronx, NY (718) Nilsa Morales RSA/P3/P4 (718) For questions concerning the CSE, contact: Mary Callaghan (718) Fax: (718) New York State s Parent s Guide to Special Education in New York: Advocates for Children s Guide to Special Education: NYC Department of Education Website: NYC Department of Education Special Education Link: State of New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Special Education: NJ Department of Education PO Box 500

6 Trenton, NJ (609) ATTENTION: DATE: It has come to our attention that would benefit from an evaluation because he/she is having trouble with Requesting Speech Evaluation: Yes No Requesting OT Evaluation: Yes No Student and Parent Information Name: DOB: Grade: Address: Apt: Student Language: Parent Language: Phone: Home: Cell:

7 Parent Signature: (Print Name) School Information Name: _SAR Academy Phone: (718) Address: 655West 254 th Street, Bronx, NY Contact Person: Michelle Mazurek x1214