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Child Find
"Under federal law, public schools must look for, find, and evaluate kids who need special education." (Lee, 2021) This means that all school districts are required to have formal
"child find" procedures to identify, locate, evaluate and provide children with a free appropriate public education (FAPE). -
Referral Process
Parents, teachers, or others with knowledge of the student can make a referral, requesting that the student be evaluated. Referrals from parents should be in writing. The letter should be dated and include an explanation of why they believe their child needs specials education services. Referrals from anyone other than the parent, result in immediate notification of parent in writing regarding the referral. Note: Interaction with parents must occur in native language. -
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Referral--IEP teams First Meeting
The IEP (Individualized Education Program) team, including parents, must meet within 15 business days after receiving a referral. -
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Notice
Parents must be give 10days written notice prior to any IEP team meeting. (5days for a manifestation determination meeting) Note: Parents can waiver the 10day notice. -
Disposition of Referral Meeting
During this meeting it is determined if the students needs can be met using existing support in a general education setting. This is known as RTI (Response to Intervention), a multi-tiered approach to identifying and supporting students with learning and behavioral needs. If the students needs cannot be met through RTI, then the IEP team recommends him/her for evaluation. -
Parental Consent
Parents must be notified in writing of the IEP teams decision after the disposition of referral meeting. Written parental consent is needed prior to the students evaluation.
School districts may file a due process hearing if parental consent is not received. Under federal law, if no consent is received or their is no response from parents for evaluation, the school is not violating the students right to FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education) and the student may not receive an IEP. -
EVALUATION
Once evaluation has been decided and agreed upon, consent given, it is also determined if any/what additional testing may be needed. Testing must be done by trained and knowledgeable, certified or licensed evaluators. The student is given a full and individualized evaluation that will show the IEP team if the student is eligible for special education services. It will also show if the student has any other educational needs that are not being met. -
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Evaluation Timespan
For NH this must be completed within 60 calendar days after the school has received written parental consent for the evaluation. The federal government also allots 60 calendar days for the evaluation to be completed. However, some states measure this time span by business or school days. It is during this time that a summary report is created and a meeting help to determine eligibility. -
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Notice
At least 5 days before the meeting, the parents are sent a compy of the results of the evaluation. Note: unless they waive this right. -
Manifestation Determination Meeting
Based on the evaluation results the IEP team will decide if the child is eligible for special education services. This means that the child must have a disability to receive services FAPE under IDEA 2004. Note: If parents do not agree with evaluation results they can request a independent educational evaluation (IEE) at the publics expense or get an IEE at their own expense. -
14 Defined Categories in the NH Standards
The 14 categories include:
- Hearing Impaired
- Deafness
- Visual Impairment or Blindness
- Deaf- Blindness
- Orthopedic Impairment
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Multiple Diabilities
- Autism
- Developmental Delay
- Intellectual Disorder
- Emotional Disorder
- Specific Learning Disability
- Speech/ Language Impairment
- Other Health Impairments -
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IEP Team Meeting
Within 30 calendar days after a student is found eligible, the IEP team must meet and develop an IEP for said students. -
IEP Team Meeting
The IEP team meets, including the parents, to develop the IEP. Once a student has an IEP, the IEP is review/revised annually and it must be in place at the beginning of each school year. The student is also reevaluated at least once every three years. Note: The IEP does not go into effect until it is signed/ approved by the parents and the school district representative. -
Determination of Educational Placement
Once the IEP is signed/ approved the IEP team meets to determine the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) in which the students will receive the special education services underlined in the IEP. Note: If parents agree these meetings may be consolidated to cover multiple steps in the process. -
Parental Extensions
If/ when parents as for extensions during this process, the parents and the school district must agree on a timeline for the initial evaluation and the IEP may be extended beyond 30 calendar days. The extension must be in writing and agreed to on or before the initial IEP due date