Parents should first contact the building administrator to share their concerns and learn about the next steps to help their student.

An Intervention Assistance Team (IAT) non-special education approach used to identify and support students who would benefit from extra leaning and/or behavior intervention. This approach is wholly separate from the special education processes under Section 504 and IDEA, but it will never be used to delay an evaluation is appropriate. The IAT model values collaboration and recognizes that the learner and parents are core members of the team. This process requires the team to analayze and identify issues of concern, identify areas of strength, set individual goals, brainstorm options for interventions, develop an action plan and gather data to determine the effectivementss of the intervention plan. The goal is not to lead to providing special education (although it can), but to identify a student's needs and potential supports that the team can provide, as well as monitor the student's ongoing success.

An evaluation is a process used to gather information that will help determine whether the student is a child with a disability. It also Will help determine the student's educational needs. The reason for evaluating the student is to:

• Get a complete picture of the student's abilities as a starting point for planning educational services. This includes a picture of how the student is performing academically and the student is developing.
• Make recommendations about ways to meet the student's educational needs; and
• Determine whether the student needs special education and related services.

If a parent believes their child is a child with a disability, they should contact their child's buildinmg administrator. Under IDEA, the District has 30 days from the day the parent requests an evaluation to determine whether or not the district suspects their child is a child with a disability and initiate an evaluation. If the district does not suspect a disability, the district must provide with a written notice explaining why it does not suspect a disability. Either way, the child's team can discuss parents' concerns and strategies to address them.

When all parts of an evaluation have been completed, the team and other qualified professionals will review the evaluation results and prepare an evaluation team report (ETR). The report will sumamrize the information gathered during the evaluation process. Then, a group of qualified professionals and the parent will determine if the student is a child with a disability under IDEA. If the group determines that the student is a child with a disability under IDEA, the IEP team will develop an IEP for the student.

A reevaluation is conducted to determine if the studnet continues to have a disability and to determine the educational needs of the student. A reevaluation must be conducted at least once every three years and may be conducted more frequently depending on the student's needs.

The Evaluation Team Report form includes a section for a parent's signature and requests an indication whether they agree or disagree "with the conclusions of the report." They need not agree with every word or recommendation in the report to agree with its conclusions. However, if they disagree with the conclusions, they may submnit a written statement of disagreement explaining their reason for disagreeing with the team's determination. They may also request an independent educational evaluation.

An independent educational Evaluation (IEE) is an evaluation conducted by a qualified examiner who is not employed by the school district. If a parent disagrees with the schools district's evualtion of the student, under certain conditions they can obtain an independent educational evualtion of the student at the district's expense.

Section 504 is a federal law designed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education. The Section 504 regulations require a school district to provide a "free appropiate public education" (FAPE) to each qualified student with a disability who is in the school district's jurisdiction.

A child will be protected by Section 504 if he or she has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

A 504 plan is a written plan describing education and related supports and services, including accommodations, to be provided to the eligible student.

Under Section 504, "FAPE" consists of the provision of regular with related supports and services designed to meet the student's individual educational needs as adequately as the needs of nondisabled students are met.

The individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that makes available a "free appropriate public education" (FAPE) tyo eligible children with disabilities and ensures special education and related services to those children.

A child with a disability under IDEA is a student who (1) meets the criteria for one of the disability categories set forth in Ohio law, and (2) who because of the disability needs special education and/or related services in order to access the general curriculum. There are thirteen disabilities categories in Ohio, each with its own educational definition: Intellectual disability, hearning impairment, speech or language impairment, visual impairment (including blindness) an emotional disturbacne, orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, any other health impairment, a specific learning disability, deafness/blindness, a developmental delay, or multiple disabilities.

Someimes abbreviated "FAPE," a free appropriate public education under the IDEA means special education and related servi ecs that (1) are provicded at public expense, under public supervision and direction and without charge; (2) meet the standards of the Ohio Department of Education; (3) include appropriate preschool, elenentary school, or secondary school education and (4) are provided an IEP reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropiate in light of the child's individual circumstances.

"Special education" means specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability. "Specially designed instruction" means adapting, as appropriate, to the needs of an eligible child, the content, metholodology, or delivery of instructions in order to address the unique needs of the child that result from the child's disability; and to ensure access of the child to the general curriculum, so that the child. an meet the educational standards of the school district.

An IEP is a written statement for a child with a disability that outlines the educational goals and objectiv es the child will work on in the coming year. It also outlines the supports and services that the child needs to meet the goals stated in the IEP.

A special education teacher. The Ohio Department of Education license to teach students with disabilities is called an "intervention specialist" license.

A prior written notice is a notice sent to parents, in writing, documenting the district's proposal or refusal to initiate or change the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the student, or the provision of a free appropriate public education to the student. The most common times a district will send a prior written notice is before the district proposes to evaluate or reevaluate the student and before the district proposes to implement an IEP.

You should review the student's current IEP and any draft IEP that has been prepared prior to a meeting. You can prepare any questions, concerns, or suggestions you have regarding the IEP for the meeting.

• A parent;
• The child, whenever appropriate;
• At least one regular education teacher (if the student is, or may be, participating in the regular education environment);
• At least one intervention specialist, or, if appropriate at least one of the student's special education providers (for example, an occupational therapist or speech-language pathologist);
• A representative of the school district who knows about the general curriculum and about the availability of school district resources;
• A person who can explain how the evaluation results will affect teaching. This person may be one of the team members already described in the bulleted items above;
• At the discretion of the parent or the school district, other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the student, including related services personnel when appropriate.

IEP development is a consensus process, with the goal of collaborative educational planning by thge educators and parents. However, sometimes, the parents and the IEP team may not agree. The following are suggested steps in the event of disagreement:

• Parent requests an informal case review by contacting the Director of Special Education.
• Parent requests an administrative review by contacting the Director of Special Education.
• Parent requests IEP team meeting facilitation from the Ohio Department of Education (cost borne by the district).
• Parent requests mediation from the Ohio Department of Education (cost borne by the district)
• Parent files a state complaint or due process

Both IDEA and Section 504 require the school district to provide parents with a procedural safeguards notice at certain times. The IDEA procedural notice for parents, developed by the Ohio Department of Education, is A Guide to Parent Rights in Special Education. The Bloom Carroll Local School District has adopted this notice and made it available on the District website.

The student's IEP must be reviewed annually. However, any team member may request a meeting at any time and an IEP can be changed to reflect current concerns and needs.

Parent's must sign an initial IEP before the school district can provide special educaiton and related services. For subsequent IEP's, the district may implement them without a parental signature if it provides the parent(s) with prior written notice in most circumstances. The district's goal is to develop an IEP with which the parent(s) agree.