Special Education Services

PASA 1% Threshold Participation - Public Letter

SUMMARY OF SERVICES AVAILABLE FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS LEBANON SCHOOL DISTRICT

Lebanon School District offers a full continuum of services for students with special needs in our Elementary, Middle, and High schools. These programs include:

Itinerant Support - (special education supports and services provided by special education personnel for 20% or less of the school day) This level is for students in regular classes who need emotional and/or academic support to be successful in the regular education curriculum. Students with a wide variety of special education identifications may receive itinerant support to assure success in the regular education environments. These include students with autism, emotional disturbance, learning disability, intellectual disability, and other health impairment.

Supplemental Learning Support- (special education supports and services provided by special education personnel for more than 20% of the day but less than 80% of the school day) This level is for students who need direct classroom instruction in a special education classroom for most core academic subjects, but who can succeed in regular classes for some academic, phys-ed, vocational, and elective courses.

Supplemental Emotional Support - (special education supports and services provided by special education personnel for more than 20% of the day but less than 80% of the school day) this level is for students whose social/emotional/behavioral difficulties may interfere with success in the regular education curriculum. This program offers support for participation in regular classes to the greatest extent possible while providing a classroom for academic and social-emotional growth when regular classes are not successful.

Full-Time Emotional Support - (special education supports and services provided by special education personnel up to 80% or more of the school day) this level is for students whose social/emotional/behavioral difficulties require a full academic/social skills program in a special classroom, until students are ready for successful partial inclusion in regular education classes. While students may receive most of their emotional support for the majority of their school day, most of our students are included extensively in the general education curriculum.

Full-Time Life Skills Support - (special education supports and services provided by special education personnel up to 80% or more of the school day) this level is for students whose academic and functional needs can be best met through a practical "life-skills" oriented curriculum focusing on every-day living skills and pre-vocational training. All academic areas are available in this setting. However, students will be included in the regular curriculum to the greatest extent possible for student success.

Autistic Support - This service is for students identified with autism. Programs can be provided through itinerant services to a full-time Autistic Support class.

Speech and Language Therapy - This service is for students identified as having speech and language needs, which require IEP outlined services and are conducted in individual, small group, or consultative formats.

Occupational Therapy - This service is for students requiring IEP outlined services to address fine motor deficits. Students work individually with a therapist after an evaluation to determine eligibility and specific areas of need.

Psychological Services - This service assists in the identification of students with possible disabilities, support for students with behavioral difficulties, and strategies for students with academic problems, which may or may not be caused by an identified disability.

Social Work Services - This service is for students and parents in the special education program who need assistance accessing community and agency support related to the student's disability.

Lebanon School District also offers Vocational and Job Training Opportunities for students with disabilities.

Lebanon County CTC - The Career and Technology Center is an option for students with independent functional abilities who are interested in a vocational training track. The CTC offers an Occupational Transition Class for students with special needs who are not sure of their vocational interests and who will benefit from sampling a variety of vocational training options in one class.

QUEST - A local contracted agency for students who may not be ready for independent employment, but who are interested in training and experience in a supported work environment.

Job Training and Placement - An IU-13 contracted service for Lebanon students who are interested in community-based work experience, training, and job placement. Activities range from once per week work crews, to half-day volunteer work experience, to full-day paid work/study.

Lebanon School District in an attempt to expand the educational continuum of placements that may be offered also contracts programs and services from IU-13 which include:

Full-Time Life-Skills Support - (special education supports and services provided by special education personnel up to 80% or more of the school day) this level is for students whose academic and functional needs can be best met through a practical "life-skills" oriented curriculum focusing on every-day living skills and pre-vocational training. All academic areas are available in this setting. However, students will be included in the regular curriculum to the greatest extent possible for student success.

Multiple Disabilities Support - this service is for students with more severe physical and mental impairments, which require a greater emphasis on interpersonal skills, personal care, fine and gross motor, beginning academic concepts, and vocational readiness. Students are included with their non-exceptional peers to the greatest degree possible.

Speech and Language Support - This service is for students identified as having speech and language needs, which require IEP outlined services and are conducted in individual, small group, or consultative formats.

Occupational Therapy Support - This service is for students requiring IEP outlined services to address fine motor deficits. Students work individually with a therapist after an evaluation to determine eligibility and specific areas of need.

Vision and Mobility Support - This service is for students with identified visual difficulties requiring an IEP.

Hearing Support - This service is for students with identified hearing impairments requiring an IEP. These programs can occur individually, through consultation, or in a Hearing Impaired classroom.

Autistic Support - This service is for students identified with autism. Programs can be provided through itinerant services to a full-time Autistic Support class.

Special Education Services & Programs

Special Education services are available for any exceptional student who requires specially designed instruction to meet their educational needs. Instructional assessment is provided to identify students through screening and evaluation activities. The instructional assessments determine the degree of need, the student's measured instructional levels, and the direct instruction and accommodations that will allow for greatest individual success in school and in the future. The instructional program is designed to address the students' individual needs with high expectations. A continuum of services and programs to provide instructional support ranges from supportive intervention in the regular classroom to full-time special education classes. It is the primary consideration that exceptional children benefit from regular education programs to the maximum extent appropriate and that the student receives a free appropriate education. A parent document is available, upon request to the counselor or special education office, which explains the procedural safeguards assuring a free appropriate education.

Identification activities are completed routinely by school staff using psychological assessments, achievement testing, group-based data, curriculum-based evaluations, medical records, and teacher reports. Students routinely identified include those with disabilities such as: autism, pervasive development disorder, blindness, visual impairment, deafness, hearing impairment, emotional disturbance, intellectual disability, neurological impairment, specific learning disability, physical disability, other health impairment, speech/language impairment, or gifted under Chapter 16. Additionally, screening or evaluation activities may be requested by the parent for a student who is thought to be exceptional, by contacting the guidance counselor of the school they attend, (717) 273-9391.

Records pertaining to identification of a student as exceptional are confidential and protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Confidential records are only available to the parents and school officials who are directly involved in the student's educational program. Confidential records are destroyed when they are no longer educationally relevant. Questions regarding the record of a student may be directed to the student's guidance counselor.

Early Intervention Services & Programs

The Lebanon School District maintains a system to locate, identify, and evaluate young children thought to be eligible for early intervention programs. Early intervention services are available to children who are three years of age, but not yet of school age. Children thought to be eligible are evaluated to determine their individual needs. A range of developmentally appropriate programs and services are provided by the State through mutually agreed upon, written arrangements between the Intermediate Unit and other agencies.

A child may be referred for early intervention services by the parents, attending physician, or an agency, which has provided services to the child. If you believe a child may be eligible, please call Mr. Joshua Coatsworth, Director of Special Education, (717) 273-9391, ext. 6726.

Protected Handicapped Students

In compliance with state and federal law, the Lebanon School District will provide to each protected handicapped student without discrimination or cost to the student or family, those related aids, services or accommodations which are needed to provide equal opportunity to participate in and obtain the benefits of the school program and extracurricular activities to the maximum extent appropriate to the student's abilities. In order to qualify as a protected handicapped student the child must be of school age with a physical or mental disability, which substantially limits or prohibits participation in or access to any aspect of the school program.

These services and provisions for protected handicapped students are distinct from those applicable to all eligible or exceptional students enrolled or seeking enrollment in special education programs. For further information on the evaluation procedures and provision of services to protect handicapped students, contact Mr. Joshua Coatsworth, Director of Special Education, (717) 273-9391, ext. 6726.

Eligibility for Services
The School District provides the programs required for all exceptional children. The programs are based on each student's needs for special education and related services. The terms and procedures used to determine if any particular student has such a need is defined by federal and state regulations. It is possible that your child may have an obvious disability but not meet the definitions established by IDEA or the Pennsylvania regulations. For example, your child might be diabetic or asthmatic but not require special education or related services. In these situations, the school will determine if your child is eligible for services under the state and federal laws known as Section 504 and Chapter 15, respectively. These laws require that programs be accessible, not discriminatory, and that certain accommodations be made to enable a student with a disability to participate fully in his or her school. If your school proposes to serve your child under one of these laws, and you believe the services under IDEA are necessary, you can use the procedures described below to challenge this determination.

Notification of Special Education Programs and Services
Pennsylvania schools provide no-cost evaluations and appropriate programs to all students thought to be disabled aged three through 21 years of age and to mentally gifted students of school age. These programs are made available to children who meet the qualifications for one of the categories of disability under Chapter 14 of the state educational regulations. Each district uses procedures to search for children who may qualify for services, such as parent and teacher referrals, review of records and report cards, and screening for hearing, vision, physical, and speech and language problems. If you feel your child may be exceptional and in need of special education, you may request that your child be considered for special services. Parent requests for screenings and evaluations should be made in writing to the district address. Congress enacted the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) to assure that all children with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education in the most typical, least restrictive school setting possible. IDEA includes a set of rights and protections for children with disabilities and their parents known as "procedural safeguards." Parent permission and input must be obtained at certain points during the evaluation, placement and programming process. If disagreements arise at any point during the process, IDEA provides resolution by informal and formal mediation. If needed, an impartial hearing officer and appeals to a State panel and the courts may be requested. In Pennsylvania, the State Legislature and Board of Education have adopted laws, regulations, and standards, which conform to IDEA. Both the federal and state regulations are available through the Pennsylvania Department of Education (www.pde.state.pa.us) or PaTTAN (www.pattan.k12.pa.us) websites.

Full Annual Notices:

Annual Public Notice - Revised July 2019 - English

Annual Public Notice - Revised July 2019 - Spanish

Annual Public Notice - Revised July 2019 - Arabic

Annual Public Notice - Revised July 2019 - Créole

PASA 1% Justification:

PASA 1% Justification

IDEA / IDEIA:

The purposes of IDEA are-

To ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living;
To ensure that the rights of children with disabilities and their parents are protected;
To assist States, localities, educational service agencies, and Federal agencies to provide for the education of all children with disabilities; and
To assess and ensure the effectiveness of efforts to educate children with disabilities."

Services outlined in the IEP, including related services, are provided to students at no cost.

LebanonSchool District