Special Education / Student Services
Referral/Assessment

Referral

The school district provides a free, appropriate public education to exceptional students in accordance with state and federal mandates. In order to receive special education services, a student must have a physical or mental disability as identified in the Illinois State Criteria. The disabilities are autism, visual impairment, hearing impairment, mental retardation, orthopedic impairment, emotional disturbance, specific learning disability, speech/language impairment, traumatic brain injury, developmental delay, multiple disabilities, deafness, deaf-blindness, and other health impairment. The disability must adversely impact educational progress and require specially designed instruction.

To identify a student who may be eligible for special education services, please use the following guidelines:

For a student between the ages of 3-5, the parent should call the Bonnie McBeth Learning Center and request a screening.

For a student in kindergarten through 12th grade, the parent should write a letter to the principal requesting an evaluation.

A teacher who suspects a disability may request a review by their School Team.

Upon the receipt of a referral, the School Team will conclude if an assessment is warranted after interventions are attempted based on factors that include educational progress, interaction skills, and functioning in the school environment. If the School Team determines that an assessment is not warranted, the referring person will receive written notice that an assessment will not be completed and the reasons for the determination of that conclusion.

If the School Team determines that an assessment is warranted, the team will conduct a Domain Review. The areas addressed in this review may include Health, Hearing, Vision, Intelligence, Social/Emotional Status, Communication Status, Academic Performance and Motor Abilities. At the completion of the review of existing information, the Team will determine what additional evaluation data is needed in each of the relevant areas and from what sources that information should be gathered to determine if the child needs Special Education Services. The School Team will then obtain consent from the parent/guardian to complete the evaluation process.

Counseling Resources, Drug Screenings