Types of Services Available
If you believe your child may be eligible
Contact your child's school to discuss your concerns. You may ask to speak to the school psychologist at any time or write a letter to Regina McClure, Director of Special Education & Pupil Services, stating your reason for concern. Discussion may follow to assist us in understanding your request and child's needs. If after discussion, you believe your child may have a disability and would like to pursue the evaluation process, we will issue a "Permission to Evaluate." This form will allow us to begin the evaluation process which may consist of, yet not be limited to: review of records, intelligence testing, achievement test, parent input and teacher input.
Parent-initiated screenings and evaluations should be requested in writing to the school district address as listed. Services are provided to 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. Information about children with disabilities is collected and maintained by each school district and by the Delaware County Intermediate Unit.
The Process
Your child will be evaluated and you will receive an Evaluation Report (ER) within sixty (60) calendar days after we have received a signed Permission to Evaluate (PTE) - Consent Form. The 60 calendar day timeline does not include the summer break. 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 Penn-Delco 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 is 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 IDEA:
It is possible that your child, while having an obvious disability, will not meet the definitions established by IDEA or the Pennsylvania regulations. For example, your child might be diabetic or asthmatic, but not reflect this disability in his or her educational performance.
Programs and services may also be available to otherwise disabled students under Chapter 15 of the Pennsylvania School Code. This chapter offers services to the disabled who do not meet the need for specialized education instruction.
In these situations, we will try to determine if we can provide the programming and services your child needs within the nondiscriminatory mandate established by §504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 ("§504"). Section 504 bars discrimination in the provision of any programs and services by any organization receiving funds from the U. S. Department of Education, among other things. The law protects all "handicapped" persons, does not require that the "handicap" affect performance and, with regard to education, confers many - but not all - of the protections spelled out in IDEA's procedural safeguards. Please contact your child's principal if you believe this is the case.
