Special Education

Once a student has been identified as eligible for special education and related services, an IEP team of people knowledgeable about the student, including you, will decide what kinds of programs and services are appropriate based on your child’s unique learning needs. Eligible students are entitled to specially designed instruction that is: (1) conducted in the classroom, in the home, in community settings, in hospitals, in institutions, and in other settings, and (2) provided in an instructional or skill area. Related services are transportation and developmental, corrective, and other supportive services such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and/or physical therapy to assist the student to benefit from special education.

If you believe your child may be eligible:

Contact your child’s guidance counselor to discuss your concerns. The guidance counselor will contact the necessary school staff to discuss your concerns. You may ask to speak to the school psychologist at any time. Discussion may follow to assist us in understanding your request and child’s needs. If after discussion, you or the school staff believes your child may have a disability and would like to pursue the evaluation process, we will issue”Permission to Evaluate Consent Form." This form will allow us to begin the evaluation process which may consist of, yet not limited to: review of records, intelligence testing, achievement test, parent input and teacher input.

Services are provided for the full range of exceptionalities listed below and may be provided at various locations with the home school being given first consideration. Programs may include the services of other professionals beyond the classroom teacher.

The purpose of these procedures is to identify children with disabilities in order to provide them with a free appropriate public education. These procedures include: parent referrals, teacher referrals, group and individual screenings by grade level.

Parents who have concerns about the development of their three to five year old child can call the Delaware County Intermediate Unit Early Intervention Office at (610) 938-9000 to request a screening or an evaluation.

The Process:

Your child will be evaluated and you will receive an Evaluation Report (ER) within sixty (60) calendar days of our receipt of the signed Permission to Evaluate Consent Form.  After this, you will be invited to attend a meeting to determine if your child is eligible for special education services and if so to develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The IEP meeting must be scheduled within 30 calendar days of dissemination of the ER.

If your child is identified as exceptional:

The Chichester School District provides the programming and services required for each exceptional child. The programs and services will be developed based on each child’s exceptionality and the need for special education and related services. The terms and procedures we use to determine if any particular child has such a need are defined, by IDEA and state regulations. These programs and services are made available to children who meet the qualifications for one of the following Exceptionality Categories under the IDEA: