Halifax Area School District

Annual Public Notice of Special Education Services and Programs, Services for Gifted Students, and Services for Protected Handicapped Students

Annual 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 (SDs), intermediate units (IUs) and charter schools (CSs) 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, parents 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. For additional information regarding gifted services, parents may refer to 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.

This notice shall inform parents throughout the school district, intermediate unit, and charter school 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, intermediate unit, and charter school shall publish written information in the handbook and on the web site. Children age three through twenty-two 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 the staff member identified for their school district of residence, 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 3 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. (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 you may contact Terry Telep, Supervisor of Early Intervention, Capital Area Intermediate Unit #15, at ttelep@caiu.org or at 717-732-8400, ext. 8539

Evaluation Process

Each school district, intermediate unit, and charter school has a procedure in place by which parents can request an evaluation. For information about procedures applicable to your child, contact the school that your child attends. Telephone numbers and addresses can be found at the end of this notice. Parents of preschool age children, age three through five, may request an evaluation in writing by addressing a letter to Terry Telep, Supervisor of Early Intervention, Capital Area Intermediate Unit #15, at ttelep@caiu.org or at 717-732-8400, ext. 8539

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, www.Pattan.net. Once written parental consent is obtained, the district will proceed with the evaluation process. If the parent disagrees with the evaluation results, the parent can request an independent education evaluation at public expense.

Program Development

Once the evaluation process is completed, a team of qualified professionals and parents determine whether the child is eligible. If the child is eligible, the Individualized Education Program 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, intermediate unit staff, and/or charter school staff will issue a Notice of Recommended Educational Placement/Prior Written Notice (NOREP/PWN). 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 District and to some extent the other services providers may maintain records concerning children enrolled in the District, including students with disabilities.  Records are maintained as long as they are educationally relevant. All records are maintained confidentiality and subject to the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).  Your consent, or consent of an eligible child who has reached the age of majority under State law, must be obtained before personally identifiable student information is released, except as permitted under applicable law.  The age of majority in Pennsylvania is 22. 

When educational records, other than those which must be maintained under applicable law, are no longer educationally relevant, the District must notify parents in writing, and may destroy the records, or at the request of a parent/guardian, must destroy the records. For additional information related to student records, please refer to FERPA.

For additional information related to student records, parents can refer to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Retention/Destruction of State Assessment Materials

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.

Notice of Destruction of Special Education Records

In accordance with 34 C.F.R 300.624, the federal regulations under IDEA: a) the public agency (ELCO School District) must inform parents when personally identifiable information is collected, maintained, or used under this part is no longer needed to provide educational services to the child.

Special Education records related to the identification, evaluation, educational placement, or the provision of special education in the District must be maintained under state and federal laws for a period of at least 6 years from creation of the record, satisfactory evidence of a student's graduation, and/or from the student's last enrollment in the district. The District intends to destroy special education records pursuant to this six (6) year requirement, unless a parent/guardian or eligible (adult) student notifies the district prior to destruction. A basic record of the student’s attendance, academic transcript, and other required records will be maintained for 100 years. Special education records may be useful to the parent/guardian or former student in applying for Social Security benefits, rehabilitation services, college entrance, etc. The parent/guardian or eligible (adult student may request a copy of the records in writing or in person at the following address, prior to destruction:

Jennifer Martin/Director of Special Education

Halifax Area School District

3940 Peter’s Mountain Rd.

Halifax, PA 17032

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 preschool age children, information may be obtained and screenings and evaluations may be requested by contacting the Intermediate Unit. For more information or to request evaluation or screening of a public or private school child District, please contact the Office of Special Education or your child’s school.

Halifax Area School District
Office of Special Education
Attn: Jennifer Martin/Director of Special Education
3940 Peter’s Mountain Rd.
Halifax,, PA 17032

The school entity or charter school will not discriminate in employment, educational programs, or activities based on race, color, national origin, age, sex, handicap, creed, marital status or because a person is a disabled veteran or a veteran of the Vietnam era. No preschool, elementary or secondary school pupil enrolled in a school district, intermediate unit, or charter school program shall be denied equal opportunity to participate in age and program appropriate instruction or activities due to race, color, handicap, creed, national origin, marital status or financial hardship.