Annual Public Notice

ANNUAL PUBLIC NOTICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES AND

PROGRAMS, SERVICES FOR GIFTED STUDENTS, AND SERVICES FOR

PROTECTED HANDICAPPED STUDENTS

 

Notice to Parents 

According to state and federal special education regulations, annual public notice to parents of children who reside within a school district is required regarding child find responsibilities. School districts and intermediate units are required to conduct child find activities for children who may be eligible for services via Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. For additional information related to Section 504/Chapter 15 services, the parent may refer to Section 504, Chapter 15, and the Basic Education Circular entitled Implementation of Chapter 15. Also, school districts are required to conduct child find activities for children who may be eligible for gifted services via 22 PA Code Chapter 16. If a student is both gifted and eligible for Special Education, the procedures in IDEA and Chapter 14 shall take precedence. All of this information can be found on the Pennsylvania Department of Education website:https://www.education.pa.gov/.

 

This notice shall inform parents throughout the school district and intermediate unit of the child identification activities and of the procedures followed to ensure confidentiality of information pertaining to students with disabilities or eligible young children. In addition to this public notice, each school district and intermediate unit shall publish written information in the handbook and on the website. Children ages three through twenty-one can be eligible for special education programs and services. If parents believe that their child may be eligible for special education, the parent should contact their district of residence. Contact information is listed at the end of this public notice. 

 

Children age three through the age of admission to first grade are also eligible if they have developmental delays and, as a result, need Special Education and related services. Developmental delay is defined as a child who is less than the age of beginners and at least three years of age and is considered to have a developmental delay when one of the following exists: (i) The child’s score, on a developmental assessment device, on an assessment instrument which yields a score in months, indicates that the child is delayed by 25% of the child’s chronological age in one or more developmental areas, or (ii) The child is delayed in one or more of the developmental areas, as documented by test performance of 1.5 standard deviations below the mean on standardized tests. Developmental areas include cognitive, communicative, physical, social/emotional and self-help. For additional information contact the intermediate unit.  Contact information is listed at the end of this public notice.    

Evaluation Process 

Each school district and/or intermediate unit has a procedure in place by which parents can request an evaluation.  For information about procedures applicable to your child, contact the school which your child attends.  Parents of preschool age children, age three through five, may request an evaluation in writing by addressing a letter to the Early Intervention Program Supervisor, ARIN Intermediate Unit 28, 2895 W Pike, Indiana, PA 15701. 

 

Consent

 

School entities cannot proceed with an evaluation or with the initial provision of special education and related services without the written consent of the parents.  For additional information related to consent, please refer to the Procedural Safeguards Notice which can be found at the PaTTAN website at www.pattan.net. Once written parental consent is obtained, the school district or intermediate unit will proceed with the evaluation process.  If the parent disagrees with the evaluation, the parent can request an independent educational evaluation at public expense.

 

 

 

 

 

Program Development 

 

Once the evaluation process is completed, a team of qualified professionals and the parents determine whether the child is eligible. If the child is eligible, the individualized education program (IEP) team meets, develops the program, and determines the educational placement. Once the IEP team develops the program and determines the educational placement, school district staff or intermediate unit staff will issue a notice of recommended educational placement/prior written notice. Your written consent is required before initial services can be provided. The parent has the right to revoke consent after initial placement.

Confidentiality of Information 

 

The school districts and to some extent the intermediate unit maintain records concerning children enrolled in the school, including students with disabilities. All records are maintained in the strictest confidentiality. Your consent, or consent of an eligible child who has reached the age of majority under State law, must be obtained before personally identifiable information is released, except as permitted under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).  The age of majority in Pennsylvania is 21. Each participating agency must protect the confidentiality of personally identifiable information at collection, storage, disclosure, and destruction states. One official at each participating agency must assume responsibility for ensuring the confidentiality of any personally identifiable information. Each participating agency must maintain, for public inspection, a current listing of the names and positions of those employees within the agency who have access to personally identifiable information. 

 

In accordance with 34 CFR § 300.624, please be advised of the following retention/destruction schedule for the Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment (PASA), Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), and Keystone Exam related materials:

• PSSA, Keystone Exam, and PASA test booklets will be destroyed one year after student reports are delivered for the administration associated with the test booklets.
• PSSA and Keystone Exam answer booklets and PASA media recordings will be destroyed three years after completion of the assessment. 

For additional information related to student records, the parent can refer to the FERPA at the following URL: https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html   This notice is only a summary of the special education services, evaluation and screening activities, and rights and protections pertaining to children with disabilities, children thought to be disabled, and their parents. For more information or to request evaluation or screening of a public or private school child, contact the responsible entity listed below. For preschool age children, information, screenings and evaluations requested, may be obtained by contacting the intermediate unit.  ARIN Intermediate Unit 28, 2895 West Pike, Indiana, PA 15701   724-463-5300.  For more information or to request a school age evaluation or screening of a public or private school child, contact Purchase Line School District, Office of Special Education at 724 254-4312 extension 4048.

 

A parent may file a written complaint alleging that the rights described in this notice were not provided to:

Pennsylvania Department of Education

Bureau of Special Education

Division of Compliance

333 Market Street

Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333

 

The Department of Education will investigate the matter; issue a report of findings and necessary corrective action within 60 days.  The Department will take necessary action to ensure compliance is

achieved.

 

Complaints alleging failures of the school district with regard to confidentiality of personally identifiable information may be filed with:

Family Policy Compliance Office

US Department of Education

400 Maryland Ave. SW

Washington, DC 20201-4602

 

Modes of Communication

If a person does not understand any of this notice, he/she should contact the school’s special education director and request an explanation.  The school district will arrange for an interpreter for parents with limited English proficiency.  If a parent is deaf or blind or has no written language, the school district will arrange for communication of this notice in the mode normally used by the parent.

 

 

Purchase Line School District

Office of Special Education

16559 Route 286 Hwy E

Commodore, PA 15729-0374

724-254-4312 extension 4048