Beyond the Evaluation

Transcription

1 Parentally-Placed Private School Students Beyond the Evaluation a parent s guide Seattle school district

2 Service Options The following service options are available to private school students determined eligible for special education through the Seattle School District: INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PLAN (IEP) OVERVIEW You may enroll your child for part-time special education services, as a dual-enrolled (private/public) student. Students enrolled in this manner are entitled to receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), which is offered through an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Parents may elect to receive services in any or all areas of eligibility. The District remains obligated to provide FAPE in all eligibility areas in which the parent elects for their child to receive services. Therefore, while parents are entitled to choose the area(s) in which their child will receive service, they do not have the option of negotiating the number of minutes offered in each chosen area. Students are offered the same amount of service in each area as they would if they were a full-time district student. Private school representatives are invited to the IEP meeting and encouraged to participate in the development of the IEP. The IEP will reflect only the services in which the student is accessing through part-time enrollment. Dual-enrollment is available to all private school and homeschooled students. SERVICES IEP services are provided at a Seattle Public School. The services are offered during the public school day and transportation is available as necessary. School assignment is determined in accordance with the district Student Assignment Plan, using the private school address rather than the home address. Services in the areas of speech and motor may be provided at a different SPS location, as therapy assignments are based on therapist availability and capacity. The schedule of services is determined by the special education teacher or therapist assigned to the building to which your child is assigned. The teacher/therapist is not required to consider the schedule of the private school student when determining the service schedule. ACCESSING SERVICES Parent/Guardian should follow the regular district enrollment process, including completion of the Admission Form, Certificate of Immunization Status, Photo ID of Parent/Guardian, Birth Certificate (K&1 st only) and two current address verification documents. The enrollment forms can be found on the Seattle School District website (seattleschools.org), under Schools, then Enrollment. Enrollment paperwork and documentation can be faxed, ed or submitted via US Mail. The delivery options are outlined on the front of the Admission Form. Upon submission, parents should notify the Enrollment Specialist that their child needs to be admitted only, and does not need a school assignment. Once student is enrolled, please contact Robin Olney, Private School Supervisor, to request a school assignment for part-time services. Services will begin as soon as the student is enrolled, an IEP meeting has been held and transportation is arranged. ELIGIBLE STUDENTS All private school and homeschooled students have the option of enrolling in their resident district to receive special education services through an IEP. If a student attends school within the Seattle School District but resides out of district, part-time enrollment for special education services is not an option.

3 SERVICE PLAN (SP) OVERVIEW It is not permissible for students to receive services through an IEP and a Service Plan simultaneously. A Service Plan (SP) is an alternative to an IEP and is available to any parentally-placed private school student enrolled in an approved, non-profit private school,* eligible for special education services and not enrolled in the district for school-based or IEP services. Students on Service Plans may receive services at their private school site (or other agreed upon location) and services may be provided before, during or after school. These students are not entitled to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and do not have an individual right to receive some or all of the special education services they would receive if they were enrolled in the district as a full- or part-time student. Furthermore, services offered through Service Plans may vary from year-to-year and services may not be available in all areas of eligibility. These services are funded through a calculated proportional share of federal funds received by the District to serve all district students with disabilities. SERVICES Services to parentally-placed private school students may be provided by a district special education teacher or therapist (speech, OT, PT, etc.) or an outside agency with whom the district enters into a contractual agreement. Outside agencies may include private school teachers. Services may be offered at a public school, private school or otherwise agreed upon location. Services funded through Proportionate Share are not guaranteed throughout the school year. If the allocation is depleted, services may be discontinued for the remainder of the school year. Services in all areas of eligibility may not be available through Service Plans. The specific services and location(s) of services available to students on Service Plans are determined annually, through a collaborative consultation process with private school administrators and representatives of parents of parentally-placed private school students. For information on the services currently available, please contact Stephanie Rincon, Private School Program Specialist, or your child s private school Administrator or Service Plan Coordinator. Students who are homeschooled or attend non-approved or for-profit private schools are not eligible to access services via Service Plans. ACCESSING SERVICES A Services Plan may be requested by contacting [email protected] or (206) A Service Plan will be developed within 30 days of initial request. ELIGIBLE STUDENTS All parentally-placed private school students eligible for special education and attending approved, non-profit private schools within the Seattle School District,* regardless of District of residence, may access services through a Services Plan. * A complete list of approved, non-profit private schools is attached. This list may also be found on the website for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).

4 Approved Private Schools Academy for Precision Learning Amazing Grace Christian School Applied Scholastics Academy of Seattle Assumption St. Bridget School Bertschi School Billings Middle School Bishop Blanchet High School Bright Water School Christ the King School Concordia Lutheran School Seattle Jewish Girls High School Epiphany School Fairview Christian School Giddens School Hamlin Robinson School Holy Family School Bilingual Catholic School Holy Names Academy Holy Rosary Elementary Hope Academy Hope Lutheran School Kapka Cooperative School Koinonia Learning Academy Lake WA Girls Middle School Lakeside School Makkah Islamic School Matheia School Meridian School MMSC Day School Morningside Academy North Seattle French School Northwest Montessori Northwest School O Dea High School Our Lady of Fatima School Our Lady of Guadalupe School Our Lady of the Lake School Pacific Crest Schools Perkins School Puget Sound Community School Seattle Academy of Arts/Sciences Seattle Amistad School Seattle Area German School Seattle Classical Christian School Seattle Country Day School Seattle Girls School Seattle Hebrew Academy Seattle Jewish Community School Seattle Lutheran High School Seattle Nativity School Seattle Preparatory School Seattle Urban Academy Seattle Waldorf School Sterling West Seattle Campus Spruce Street School St. Alphonsus School St. Anne School St. Benedict School St. Catherine School St. Edwards School St. George School St. John School St. Joseph School St. Matthew School St. Paul School St. Therese Catholic Academy The Bush School The Lake and Park School Tilden School Torah Day School of Seattle University Child Development School University Cooperative School University Preparatory Valley School Villa Academy Westside School

5 Frequently Asked Questions Now that my child is eligible for services, will an IEP be automatically developed? No, an IEP will only be developed if you elect to have your child to receive services as a full- or part-time enrolled student. If you would like to access services via an IEP, please contact the district personnel assigned to coordinate services in the areas you are considering having your child access (see attached district contact information). Your child will need to be enrolled in the District prior to receiving services. I m not sure which services I want my child to access, and it will probably depend on the available schedule. Can I find out the schedule of services before I decide if I want to access services? Yes, you may contact district personnel associated with the specific services you are considering (see attached district contact information) Will my child s eligibility status remain current if I don t accept special education services in any, or all, areas of eligibility? Yes, your child will remain eligible in all areas identified within the evaluation report for the duration of the eligibility period, whether or not services are accepted. Evaluations are considered current for three years. Is a reevaluation automatically conducted after three years? A 3-year reevaluation is automatically conducted for all students who are enrolled in the District and receiving special education services via an IEP. If you have declined services for your child, or your child is receiving services via a Service Plan, a 3-year reevaluation will not be automatically conducted. Parents may request a 3-year reevaluation by ing [email protected]. I enrolled my child in the District, but I haven t been contacted by anyone to develop the IEP. Is there something else I should be doing? Yes, you will need to request an IEP by contacting the District personnel assigned to coordinate services in the areas of service your child will be accessing. If my child attends an approved non-profit private school, can he/she access services at the private school? Yes, it is possible for services to be delivered at the private school. Students attending nonprofit, approved private schools have the option of receiving services through a Service Plan, rather than an IEP, if they are determined eligible for a Service Plan. Each year a determination is made regarding the services to be provided through Service Plans. If your child is not eligible for a Service Plan, the only way to access services is through an IEP (via District enrollment). We don t live in the Seattle School District. Is the only option for my child to receive services through our District of residence? If your child attends an approved non-profit private school, services may be provided through the Seattle School District via a Service Plan. Whether your child is eligible for a Service Plan depends on the determination made by the District each school year. You may contact the District for information on the current year s determination. If your child s is not eligible for a Service Plan, an IEP through the home district is the only way to access special education services.

6 My child isn t eligible to receive services through a Service Plan this year. Is it possible that he/she might be able to access a Services Plan next school year? Yes, each May a determination is made regarding the services to be provided through Service Plans during the following school year. To find out which services are available each year, contact [email protected] or (206) How is the school assignment determined for IEP services? For academics and other subjects taught by a special education teacher, the assignment is made in accordance with the District s Student Assignment Plan, using the private school address, rather than the home address (please see attached spreadsheet for identified school assignments). If your child is homeschooled, your home address will be used to determine assignment. For services offered by a therapist (speech, OT, PT, etc), the school assignment will be determined by the Coordinators for each therapy service. The assignment will be based on therapist capacity and availability. Can my child have an IEP and a Service Plan in place simultaneously? No, students may access services through a Service Plan OR an IEP; not both. It is possible, however, to switch from one plan to the other. Please contact Stephanie Rincon, Private School Program Specialist, for more information on that process. What are the main differences between an IEP and a Service Plan? An IEP offers your child a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in whichever areas you choose to enroll your child for services. This means that you (and your child) have rights identified in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and will receive a copy of the Special Education Procedural Safeguards at each meeting. Students on Service Plans are not enrolled in the District and aren t entitled to FAPE. If your child receives services through an IEP, you have the option of requesting services in any or all areas of eligibility. If you elect for your child to receive services through a Service Plan, services are only available in specific areas of eligibility, despite your child s identified areas of eligibility. Your child has the right to receive special education services outlined in an IEP without interruption (during the school year). Students receiving services via a Service Plan, run the risk of services being discontinued prior to the end of the school year. When the funding source for the provision of Service Plans is depleted, services are immediately discontinued until the following school year. We do, however, take this into consideration when determining which services will be provided throughout the year. Our goal is to provide as much service as possible without depleting the funding prior to the end of the school year. If funds remain, it is possible that summer services will be offered through Service Plans. Services offered through an IEP are delivered by a highly-qualified special education teacher or therapist during the school day, at a Seattle Public School site and the schedule is determined solely by the special education teacher. Students on Service Plans may receive services at their private school, a Seattle Public School site or an agreed upon community location. Services may be provided outside of the student s day, as agreed upon by the school, parent and service provider. Services will be provided by a district special education teacher or therapist, private school teacher, or a private agency provider. Students on IEPs are included in a group taught by a special education teacher and receive the number of service minutes they would if they were enrolled full-time in the District. Students on Service Plans receive a reduced number of minutes, which is typically less than what they would receive through an IEP.

7 District Contacts Enrollment Center/Service Center Contact to determine the documents necessary for readmission into the District (for returning students), for verification of enrollment status or to determine school options available for full-time enrollment. Transportation Department Contact for information on transportation routes, to cancel suspend or amend transportation request or to report problems to dispatch Private School - General Information: [email protected] Private Program Specialist, Stephanie Rincon [email protected] Contact with questions regarding specific private school students. Contact to request IEP services to be delivered by a teacher (reading, writing, math, social, pre-academics, etc). Private School Supervisor, Robin Olney Private Administrative Data Specialist, Lexi Garberg [email protected] Contact to request an initial evaluation or 3-year reevaluation. Request status on evaluation or 3-year reevaluation. Speech/Language Coordinator, Patricia Whitmore [email protected] Contact to request Speech/Language services via an IEP. OT Coordinator, Kelley Couvillion [email protected] Contact to request Occupational Therapy services via an IEP. PT Coordinator, Chris Bryhan [email protected] Contact to request Physical Therapy services via an IEP.

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