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Public Notice

The Loyalsock Township School District has developed policies in accordance with federal and state regulations and guidelines to insure the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to all school-aged children, including those with a disability.

 

Child Find

Each school district, along with other public agencies in the Commonwealth, must establish and implement procedures to identify, locate, and evaluate all children who need special education programs and services because of a child’s disability. This notice is to help find these children, assist parents, and describe parents’ rights with regard to confidentiality of information that will be obtained during this process.  If a person does not understand any of this notice, he or she should contact the school district (see contacts) and request an explanation.

 

Description of Special Education Programs

The Loyalsock Township School District provides appropriate special education programs, related services, and early intervention programs that are:

  • Provided at no cost to parents;
  • Provided under the authority of a school entity, directly, by referral, or by contract;
  • Individualized to meet the educational or early intervention needs of the child;
  • Reasonably calculated to yield meaningful educational or early education benefits and progress;
  • Designed to conform to an Individual Education Program(IEP)

Special Education is designed to meet the needs of each exceptional student including “specially designed instruction conducted in the classroom, home, community, hospitals, institutions, or other settings.”  Instruction is also provided in skill areas such as physical education, speech and vocational education when appropriate.

Loyalsock Township School District contracts with BLaST IU 17 to provide early intervention services.  These services include developmentally appropriate programs designed to meet the needs of eligible young children and their families.

Programs are provided to children with needs in any of the following developmental areas:  physical, sensory, cognitive, speech and language, social/emotional and self-help.

Related services available to students include transportation and developmental, corrective, and other supportive services that help an exceptional student benefit from special education.  Examples include speech pathology and audiology, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, social work services, school health services, early identification and assessment, medical services for diagnosis or evaluation, parent counseling and education, recreation, counseling services, rehabilitation counseling services and assisting technology services.

 

Children Served in Special Education Programs

Special education services are available to children who have one or more of the following physical or mental disabilities:

  • Autism/pervasive Developmental Disorder
  • Serious Emotional Disturbance
  • Neurological Impairment
  • Deafness/hearing Impairment
  • Specific Learning Disability
  • Mental Retardation
  • Multiple Disabilities
  • Other Health Impairment
  • Physical Disability
  • Speech and Language Impairment
  • Blindness/visual Impairment
  • Child Determined By An IEP Team To Need Special Education
  • Children Identified As Gifted
  • Early Intervention services are available to children who are at least three years of age, but less than the age for beginning school, and who have one or more of the following physical or mental disabilities:
  • Autism/pervasive Developmental Disorder
  • Serious Emotional Disturbance
  • Neurological Impairment
  • Deafness/hearing Impairment
  • Specific Learning Disability
  • Mental Retardation
  • Multiple Disabilities
  • Other Health Impairment;
  • Physical Disability;
  • Speech and Language Impairment
  • Blindness/visual Impairment
  • Developmental Delay

 

 

Referral of Children for Screening and Evaluation 

Loyalsock Township School District has procedures to identify children needing special education.  Those procedures include “screening” and “evaluation.”  If a disability is suspected, teachers, parents or other school personnel may refer the child for screening or evaluation.

Parents suspecting that a child may have a disability and be in need of special education or early intervention services can request a screening or an evaluation by contacting the building principal and/or the Supervisor of Special Education.  Contact information is listed at the end of this notice.

Screening of Children

Screening of children is conducted for hearing, vision, motor skills, speech and language, and basic reading, writing and math skills using immediately available data sources such as health records, cumulative records, enrollment records, report cards, and other assessment data.  Screening may lead to the need for intervention through the Classroom Intervention Coordination Team (CIC) made up of the classroom intervention coordinator, building principal or his/her designee, regular education teacher, school counselor, support teacher(s), school psychologist, and others as deemed appropriate. The CIC Core team will recommend interventions to be utilized to assist a child in improving his/her skills, whether those skills are academic or behavioral. If a student demonstrates little or no improvement over time with the recommended interventions in place, parental consent may be sought to conduct an evaluation to determine eligibility for special education.

In addition to the screening processes that are available throughout the year for students who are school age, screening occurs in the spring of each year in conjunction with Kindergarten registration at Donald E. Schick Elementary. Students who demonstrate deficiencies and/or appear to lack Kindergarten readiness skills are invited to attend a Ready, Set, Go pre-kindergarten summer camp for three weeks.

 

Evaluation of Children  

Before evaluation, parents are informed of the following information:

  •  Who referred the child for evaluation;
  • Why the child was referred;
  • How to review the child’s school records;
  • What procedures and types of evaluations will be used;
  • Parent involvement in the evaluation process is encouraged;
  • The schedule for the evaluation process and the parents’ rights regarding the consent for evaluation.

Evaluations are conducted by a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) to determine such things as the child’s learning ability, behavior patterns, physical abilities, and communication skills.  The team is made up of parents, a teacher, school administrator or his/her designee, and school psychologist.  The team may include a special education teacher, supervisor, speech therapist, counselor, and other staff as deemed necessary/appropriate.  Methods used in the evaluation include observation, review of records, and group and/or individual assessments and reports of progress attained from interventions provided.  Additionally, relevant information is gathered from school personnel, medical personnel and parents.

Results of the evaluation are reviewed by the team to determine if special education services are needed.  When a student qualifies for and is in need of special education (specially designed instruction) and such is recommended, parents are part of a team to determine appropriate services and placement and develop an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for the child.

It is important to note that parental consent is needed to conduct a formal evaluation.

 

Student Records and Confidentiality

Loyalsock Township School District is required by law to keep records of all students receiving special education and early intervention services. Included in these records are:

  • Birth date
  • Address
  • Telephone Number
  • Other General Information
  • Achievement Test Results
  • Psychological Test Results
  • Teacher Progress Reports
  • Comprehensive Evaluation Reports
  • Routine Medical Records

As a student is reevaluated, every three years (two years for students who are mentally retarded or Autistic) information is added to his or her file.  Loyalsock Township School District has developed policies to ensure that all records are confidential.  Only school personnel are permitted to see the child’s file.  Anyone else must have written approval of the parent to see the file or to receive copies of information in the file.

Loyalsock Township School District forwards education records to other agencies or institutions that have requested the records and in which the student seeks or intends to enroll.

Parents can review the child’s file and challenge the validity of any record or report, and/or challenge the maintenance of information on file.

Federal regulations give both natural parents access to their child’s education records unless there is a court order, state statute, or legally binding document prohibiting access.

 

Contact Information

Matthew Reitz
Principal
Loyalsock Township High School
1801 Loyalsock Drive
Williamsport, PA 17701
(570)326-3581  ext. 1304

 

Ashley Sekel
Principal
Loyalsock Township Middle School
2101 Loyalsock Drive
Williamsport, PA
(570)323-9439 ext. 1202

 

Matthew Johnson
K-2 Principal
Donald E. Schick Elementary School
Four Mile Drive
Montoursville, PA 17754
(570)326-3554 ext. 1102

 

Preston Shellenberger
3-5 Principal
Donald E. Schick Elementary School
Four Mile Drive
Montoursville, PA 17754
(570)326-3554 ext. 1108

 

Lisa Fisher
Supervisor of Special Education
District Service Center
1605 Four Mile Drive
WIlliamsport, PA 17701
(570)323-5326

 

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