Intereview

For the state of Indiana as an administrator I need to familiarize myself with the Special Education Rules Title 511 Article 7 Rules 32-49 (Indiana Dept. of Ed, 2014). Article 7 was brought to my attention by my special education coordinator at Laurel School Mrs. Christy Sheehan. This article will help me access the guidelines of Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) and the Individual Education Programs (IEP) along with the instruction from Mrs. Sheehan. This article will help me indicate what key areas I need to know as a future administrator. As I become an administrator I know I will have to familiarize myself with the entire 134 page article, but for now I will focus in on five areas. This article and area of study is new to me being a physical education teacher that isn’t familiar with all the laws of special education. It can be overwhelming looking into this document, but as an administrator I need to familiarize myself with all aspects of education.

For this assignment, I interview a service provider for special education services. The service provider I interviewed, takes part in the educational team, and provide services. The service provider is developmental therapist. I was able to develop a better sense of the importance of inclusion. After interviewing the service provider, and learning her philosophy of inclusion I have was able to better understand the accommodations and modifications for special needs students.

In 2004 the case of Deal v. Hamilton County Board of Education was coming to a close after reaching the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Ohio. Within this essay, detailed examination of this case, along with issues that developed the case, disagreement points, parties involved, and final outcome will be explored. This case was initiated in 1999 and reached the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in 2004. The Individuals with Disabilities Act has given parents and caregivers to student’s unparalleled

Throughout history there have been many educational mandates and laws in which have provided more opportunities for equal educational access. Section 504, the first Civil Rights Law for protection of students with disabilities was signed into law in 1973. This paved the way to many rights for students with disabilities to have a Free, Appropriate, Public, Education. This law in essence means, no program, that receives federal funds, can discriminate based upon their disability in which substantially limits one more more major life functions. Throughout this paper I will be reviewing the historical perspective on Section 504, the federal and state mandates, legal cases pertaining to Section 504, current issues, and applying the information to my current districts implementation of 504 plans.

Rules, regulations, and federal laws for special education have improved as the years have gone by. This essay will indicate how educators teaching special education must comprehend the mandates of the Individual with Disability Act (IDEA), student and parental rights. This essay will also explain how court cases (past and present) and IDEA has given special education students the ability to receive a Free Appropriate Education (FAPE). My interview with Ms. Patricia Pritchett, Coordinator of Special Education in DeKalb County School District, was able to give me information and guidelines in reference to their county procedures and policies for the special education department. The interview with Ms. Pritchett gave me insight as to special education legal framework and how the constant changes that affects students with disabilities and regular education students.

The parents must request that the child be evaluated (“Best,” n.d.). The school may recommend an evaluation of the child, but must obtain the parents’ permission. The Center for parent Information and Resources (2014) notes that the school must inform parents in writing why the evaluation (or refuses), the procedures of the evaluation, the analysis of the assessments and records, and a list of options if rejected. If the parent gives written consent, the school continues with the evaluation and must conduct it within 60 days of receiving consent. If the parent rejects the consent, the school documents all attempts and can persist with evaluation through due process (“Evaluating,” 2014). The evaluation must include a variety of assessments and strategies to determine academic, functional, and developmental performance. It must also be child focused: evaluation is given in the child’s native language, able to use AAC devices if there is a communication deficit (“Best”). Parents must be included in the evaluation process, the outcome of the child’s eligibility, and receive a copy of the report (“Evaluating”). If the results

In all schools, decisions related to special education are made by an Individualized Education Program team. After a student has been identified as “eligible for special education services,” the IEP team, with the student and parents, develops a program to provide the student with access to the curriculum and supports that will enable them to succeed. Whether special needs students are taught in general classrooms, or exclusively, is dependent solely on the school in which they attend. However, public charter schools, on average, serve more of their students with disabilities in general education classrooms. Therefore, some academic researchers are quite skeptical regarding the extent to which charter schools are failing to provide services. Herron High School has undergone such skepticism.

The Special Education system is widely known throughout the United States as a helpful resource for people with learning disabilities. It is made so that all children have equal access to educational services that help them to be successful in the classroom. We have come a long way from 1975, when Special Education became mandatory due to United States Congress passing the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) which was a result of the discriminatory treatment by public schools against students with disabilities. Although, the passing of the EAHCA did not end all of the discriminatory treatment, it was the beginning of a long battle for equality in the classroom. Today, students in Special Education face many different obstacles that prevent them from reaching their full potential in the classroom. Are educators doing enough to help these students overcome obstacles and is there enough resources available for students in special education to succeed? What have we accomplished in 40 years, since special education first came about?

The idea of children with disabilities, whether they be mild or severe has been a very controversial and misunderstood topic. In the past inclusion has brought about huge changes for not only the students, but also the parents and families of these children, and staff at schools. Teachers and education professionals were the first to really feel the wrath and intimidation of this dramatic shift in education. There were several different factors that were coming about that made it very difficult for schools and teachers, the unorganized mandates were strict and didn’t allow much time for change. “President Gerald Ford signed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) into law in 1975. Since the original passage of the EAHCA, the law has been amended four times and renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)” (Conroy, Yell, Katsiyannis, & Collins, 2010, para.1).

After a student is suspected of having a disability, a multi-disciplinary team typically meets to determine whether an evaluation is warranted. If the team members decide the student should be evaluated, the school must obtain informed consent from the student’s parents before any personalized testing occurs. However, if parents refuse consent for the initial evaluation or fail to respond to the request to provide consent, the district may file a formal complaint with the state education agency to resolve the issue and possibly to authorize an evaluation. Evaluations must be completed in a timely manner, usually within sixty days of receiving parental consent.

If a parent believes that their child is in need of special education services, a written request must be sent to the Child Study Team and it is treated as a formal referral. School district personnel, such as a child’s teacher, may suspect, through classroom observations, that a child may have a disability and can make a referral to the child study team. Within 20 calendar days of receiving a referral, the complete child study team must hold a meeting with the parent and the student’s teacher to determine if an evaluation is warranted and the scope of that evaluation. Typically learning, psychological, and social assessments are ordered. Additional evaluations that may be ordered include speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychiatric, and/or neurological assessments. If the parent attends the initial determination meeting and evaluations are warranted, the parent can sign consent at that time or refuse. The school district has 90 calendar days to complete the evaluations, and if eligible, develop and implement an individualized education program (IEP). If it is determined that evaluations will not be conducted, recommendations may be made with respect to interventions or services to be provided in general education. The child study team must inform the parent in writing of the decision to evaluate at least 15 calendar days before conducting the evaluation. If the parent refuses, the school district may request a due process hearing before an

In the United States there has always been a proud sense of freedom. However, there are many situations in this free country that are still not free. Educational policy has been a difficult issue to address. Education wants to provide for all students, which most of the time means segregating students with certain needs so they can be individually met (Raines, 1996). “In short, society has improved their access to equal education by decreasing their freedom to associate with their peers without disabilities” (Raines, 1996, p. 113). In order to insure students with disabilities received and education the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA was implemented in 1978. (Hasazi, Johnston, Schattman, & Liggett, 1994). However to prevent segregated classes the LRE or Least Restrictive Environment mandate was

By creating and completing my project, I believe I will learn about numerous aspects of school leadership, as well as gain skills in working within a department in which I have little prior experience. I chose a student learning problem involving special services, and will learn about how special education students are provided with services, the challenges this entails, the legalities of this area of education, and how to take on a leadership role with staff members. I will learn about the gathering and analysis of relevant data, how it drives decisions in an educational setting, and will learn about the differences in instruction for special education students vs. general educations students. In addition, I will learn about the nuances that are present within our community, potentially involving the stigma that parents struggle with when their child is in need of special services, and how a school leader can address these issues with each child’s best interests in mind.

The special education law on inclusion suggests,” School districts… have the responsibility of ensuring that a reasonable standard of care is met when regular teachers work with students who have disabilities” (Essex, 2008, p. 149). Moreover, schools are required to monitor on a systematic basis that the standards are met. By not following the law, the schools are susceptible to lawsuits. The special educator is responsible for such monitoring. Essex (2008) adds, “The lack of funds should not be used by the school districts as the basis to deny children with a disability a public education” (Essex, 2008, p.

Children with disabilities today, routinely attend the same public schools as children without disabilities. But this wasn 't always the case. Prior to the 1970s special education was in a dark state. Parents of children with cognitive or emotional disabilities, deafness, blindness or the need for speech therapy, among others had very few options other than to be educated at home, institutionalized, or receive no education. By the1970s after many court cases legislation restructured and transformed special education by producing a steady stream of mandates, laws and decisions to help ensure the educational needs of children with disabilities. The 1970s bought more significant improvement to the lives of children with special education needs than any other decade in the history of special education. The panel’s recommendations included federal aid to states. In 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which provided funding for primary education, and is seen by advocacy groups as expanding access to public education for children with disabilities. Despite these two important events, by the 1970’s, only a relatively small number of children with disabilities were being educated in public schools. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which includes Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 are two laws with the intention to prevent any form of discrimination against individuals who meet the definition of having a