Potential Signs of Developmental Delays and Other Risk Factors That Could Indicate a Need for Special Education Services
Some indications that your child may be a child with a disability who is in need of special education are:
- Exhibition of an emotional disturbance over a long period of time which affects your child’s ability to learn
- Consistent problems in getting along with others
- Difficulty communicating
- Lack of interest or ability in age-appropriate activities
- Resistance to change
- Difficulty seeing or hearing that interferes with the ability to communicate
- Health problems that affect educational performance including attention problems
- Difficulty performing tasks that require reading, writing, or mathematics; and
- When, a child who is at least 3 years of age but before s/he has started school as a beginner, scores on a developmental assessment device, on an assessment instrument which yields a score in months, which score indicates that the child is delayed by 25% of the child’s chronological age in one or more developmental areas, or if the child is delayed in one or more of the developmental areas, as documented by tests performance of 1.5standard deviations below the mean on standardized tests.
Gifted Education
In compliance with state law, the School District of the City of Erie provides services designed to meet the unique needs of gifted students. The District identifies “gifted”students on a case-by-case basis based on state law and District policy. Such students may possess superior IQ scores or meet multiple criteria indicating gifted ability. If your child is believed to be in need of such services, you will be notified of evaluation procedures. If you believe your school-age child may qualify for gifted education services, you may contact the District at any time to request a determination of eligibility. Please note that entitlement to gifted services includes only those rights provided for by Pennsylvania law.
Screening and Evaluation
If you believe that your school-age child may be in need of special education services and related programs, or your child (age 3 to school age) may be in need of early intervention programs and services, screening and evaluation processes designed to assess the needs of the child and his/her eligibility are available to you at no cost upon your request. You may request a screening and evaluation at any time,whether or not your child is enrolled in the District’s public school program. Requests for evaluation and screening should be made to the principal of your child’s school or the Child Study Office, 148 West 21st Street, Erie, PA16502, at 874-6100. Parents of children ages 3to school age, with requests for early intervention programs/services may request screening and evaluation by contacting the Early Intervention Office at 874-6155. Details regarding time and location of screening and evaluation activities conducted by the Erie School District for either school-age or preschool-age children are available from these sources.
If you disagree with the results of the evaluation conducted by the district you have the right to request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE). If you request an Independent Educational Evaluation, the district will provide you with information about where you may obtain an IEE and about the district’s criteria that applies to IEEs. The Independent Educational Evaluation is provided at public expense, meaning that the district ensures that the IEE is provided at no cost to the parent.
Protected Handicapped Children
In compliance with state and federal law,the School District of the City of Erie will provide to each protected handicapped student,without discrimination or cost to the student or family, those related aids, services, or accommodations which are needed to provide equal opportunity to participate in and obtain the benefits of the school program and extracurricular activities to the maximum extent appropriate to the student’s abilities. In order to qualify as a protected handicapped student,the child must be of school age with a physical or mental disability that substantially limits or prohibits participation in or access to an aspect of the school program. These services and protections for protected handicapped students are distinct from those applicable to all eligible or exceptional students enrolled (or seeking enrollment) in special education programs.
I.D.E.I.A.
The School District of the City of Erie complies with the recent reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act. Procedural safeguards for students ages 3 through 21 are available at all School District buildings or through the Special Education Department, 148 West 21st Street,Erie, PA 16502.
What’s Next?
For further information on the rights of parents and children, provision of services,evaluation and screening (including purpose,time, and location), and rights to due process procedures, you may contact your child’s building principal, the Child Study Office, or the Early Intervention Office.
Confidentiality
All information gathered in the evaluation,identification, and programming of children who may require special education services is governed by confidentiality requirements under Pennsylvania and federal law, specifically, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. Records generated by this process as well as records sought from non-school agencies are confidential and protected by both federal and Pennsylvania legislation. Information to/from outside sources cannot be requested/released without written parental consent and the District does not disclose personally identifiable information about students except as when so authorized under these laws. Information about confidentiality and access to your child’s education records is available from your child’s building principal, the Child Study Office,or the Early Intervention Office and is also described in this Parent Information Packet.
Esta informacion es disponible en Espanol. Pongaseen contacto con el Distrito Escolar.
Notice of Non-Discrimination
The Erie School District is an equal opportunity education institution and does not discriminate in employment,educational programs or activities based on race,color, religion, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender,sexual orientation, age or disability, because a person is a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam Era or any other legally protected class, or for engaging in any other protected activities. This policy of nondiscrimination extends to all other legally protected classifications. Publication of this policy is in accordance with state and federal laws including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Inquiries may be made by contacting the District’s Compliance Officer, Mr. Ken Nickson, at 874-6033.
