Special Education

In compliance with state and federal law, notice is hereby given by the Parkland School District that it conducts ongoing identification activities as a part of its school program for the purpose of identifying students who may be in need of special education and related services. If your child is identified by the district as possibly in need of such services, you will be notified of applicable procedures. Individualized services and programs are available for children who are determined to need specially designed instruction due to the following conditions:

Autism; Deaf-blindness; Deafness; Emotional Disturbance; Hearing Impairment; Intellectual Disability; Multiple Disabilities; Orthopedic Impairment; Other Health Impairment; Specific Learning Disability; Speech or Language Impairment; Traumatic Brain Injury; Visual Impairment.

If you believe that your school age child may be in need of special education services and related programs, screening and evaluation processes designed to assess the needs of the child and his/her eligibility are available to you at no cost, upon written request. Early intervention services are available for young children (age 3 to school age.) You may request screening and evaluation at any time, whether or not your child is enrolled in the district's public school program. Requests for evaluation and screening should be made in writing to Dr. Matthew Carlson, Director of Student Services, 1210 Springhouse Road, Allentown, PA 18104.

Child Find

The school district engages in numerous public awareness activities to alert residents about procedures for accessing special education programs. Public awareness activities are included in the district activities calendar, the district newsletter, the newspaper (2 times per year), TV, and radio announcements. In addition, flyers and brochures are given to each of the non-public schools within Parkland School District borders. The district also sends a letter to each family in non-public schools, making them aware of their ability to access evaluations for special education.

Accessibility & Accommodations

In compliance with state and federal law, the Parkland School District will provide to each student eligible under PA Code Chapter 15  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 under PA Code Chapter 15, the child must be of school age with a physical or mental disability, which substantially limits or prohibits participation in or access to an aspect of the school program. These services and protections under PA Code Chapter 15 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 under PA Code Chapter 15, contact Dr. Matthew Carlson, Director of Student Services, at 610-351-5555.

All district schools provide accessibility for individuals with disabilities. Adults with disabilities who wish to visit or utilize school facilities should contact the appropriate building principal for information. General questions regarding the accessibility of school facilities for persons with disabilities should be directed to the office of the assistant superintendent, at 610-351-5505.

Notification of Rights Under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA)

PPRA affords parents certain rights regarding our conduct of surveys, collection and use of information for marketing purposes, and certain physical exams. These include the rights to:
Consent before students are required to submit to a survey that concerns one or more of the following protected areas ("protected information survey") if the survey is funded in whole or in part by a program of the U.S. Department of Education (ED):
-Political affiliations or beliefs of the student or student's parent
-Mental or psychological problems of the student or student's family
-Sex behavior or attitudes
-Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior
-Critical appraisals of others with whom respondents have close family relationships
-Legally recognized privileged relationships, such as with lawyers, doctors or ministers
-Religious practices, affiliations or beliefs of the student or parents
-income, other than as required by law to determine program eligibility

Receive notice and an opportunity to opt a student out of:
-Any other protected information survey, regardless of funding
-Any non-emergency, invasive physical exam or screening required as a condition of attendance, administered by the school or its agent, and not necessary to protect the immediate health and safety of a student, except for hearing, vision or scoliosis screenings, or any physical exam or screening permitted or required under State law
-Activities involving collection, disclosure or use of personal information obtained from students for marketing or to sell or otherwise distribute the information to others

Inspect, upon request and before administration or use:
-Protected information surveys or students
-Instruments used to collect personal information from students for any of the above marketing, sales or other distribution purposes
-Instructional material used as part of the educational curriculum
These rights transfer from the parents to a student who is 18 years old or an emancipated minor under State law.
Parkland School district will develop policies, in consultation with parents, regarding these rights, as well as arrangements to protect student privacy in the administration of protected information surveys and the collection, disclosure, or use of personal information for marketing, sales, or other distribution purposes. Parkland School District will directly notify parents of these policies at least annually at the start of each school year and after any substantive changes. Parkland School District will also directly notify, such as through U.S. Mail or email, parents of students who are scheduled to participate in the specific activities or surveys noted below and will provide an opportunity for the parent to opt his or her child out of participation of the specific activity or survey. Parkland School District will make this notification to parents at the beginning of the school year if the District has identified the specific or approximate dates of the activities or surveys at that time. For surveys and activities scheduled after the school year starts, parents will be provided reasonable notification of the planned activities and surveys listed below and be provided an opportunity to opt their child out of such activities and surveys. Following is a list of the specific activities and surveys covered under this requirement:
-Collection, disclosure, or use of personal information for marketing, sales or other distribution.
-Administration of any protected information survey not funded in whole or in part by ED.
-Any non-emergency, invasive physical examination or screening as described above.
Parents who believe their rights have been violated may file a complaint with:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202-5901

Each of our 11 schools provides special education services for students. The students receiving special education have been identified as exceptional within the PA Special Education Regulations and Standards through a multidisciplinary team evaluation. Some of the individuals who may participate on the multidisciplinary team include the building principal, classroom teachers, learning support teachers, guidance counselors, nurse, speech and language therapists, and school psychologist.The following exceptionalities are recognized under the Pennsylvania State Regulations governing special education:

• Autism
• Deaf-blindness
• Deafness
• Emotional Disturbance
• Hearing Impairment
• Intellectual Disability
• Multiple Disabilities
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Other Health Impairment
• Specific Learning Disability
• Speech or Language Impairment
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Visual Impairment

Because the Parkland school district develops programs to meet the individual needs of students, there are some children whose goals are for developing life skills. The learning support teacher is responsible for delivery of the services. Usually another special education staff member will assist the special education teacher. Our special education staff works collaboratively with the general education staff to provide programs for the pupils within the school community.

Children with learning disabilities generally possess average intelligence, but exhibit a discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability in the areas of reading, writing, and/or math. Some of these learners require instruction to be delivered through different materials or levels than their grade level or chronologically aged peers. Some of our students with disabilities participate in regular education environments with different goals than their peers. These environments can provide opportunities for communication and socialization which may be designated on the student’s Individualized Educational Program (IEP). The IEP is developed by a team, which includes the parents, to determine the program for each child.

If parents have a question regarding their child’s progress, they may contact the guidance counselor to discuss their concerns.

Related Services

Related services are provided for students to participate in and obtain the benefits of their school program to the maximum extent appropriate to their abilities. These services are deemed necessary for students to benefit from their individualized programming. These specific services are determined on an individual basis and are delineated in each student’s IEP as appropriate.The following are some related services that students may receive as part of their educational programming:

* Speech/language therapy
* Occupational therapy
* Physical therapy
* Assistive technology
* Vision or hearing consultation
* Transportation

Notice for Directory Information 

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that Parkland School District, with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child's education records.  However, Parkland School District may disclose appropriately designated "directory information" without written consent, unless you have advised the District to the contrary in accordance with District procedures.  The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the Parkland School District to include this type of information from your child's education records in certain school publications.  Examples include:

-A playbill, showing your student's role in a drama production

-The annual yearbook

-Honor roll or other recognition lists

-Graduation programs

-Sports activity sheets, such as for wrestling, showing weight and height of team members

Directory information, which is information that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released, can also be disclosed to outside organizations without a parent's prior written consent.  Outside organizations include, but are not limited to, companies that manufacture class rings or publish yearbooks.  In addition, two federal laws require local educational agencies (LEAs) receiving assistance under the Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide military recruiters, upon request, with three directory information categories - names, addresses and telephone listings - unless parents have advised the LEA that they do not want their student's information disclosed without their prior written  consent.

If you do not want Parkland School District to disclose directory information from your child's education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the District in writing by October 15 of the current school year.

Students Records Policy  

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students over 18 years of age ("eligible students") certain rights with respect to the student's education records.

These rights are:

The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day the School receives a request for access.  Parents or eligible students should submit to the building principal or director of student services a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect.  The school official will make arrangements for access and notify the parent of eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.

The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate.  Parents or eligible students may ask the school to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate.  They should write the school principal or director of student services and clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate.   If the school decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent or eligible student, the school will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and advise them of their right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment.  Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.

The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records, except to the extent the FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.  One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests.  A school official is a person employed by the school as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the school board; a person or company with whom the school has contacted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); or a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his/her tasks.  A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his/her professional responsibility.  Upon request, the school discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.

The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the school district to comply with the requirements of FERPA.  The name and address of the office that administers FERPA are: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Dept. of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20202-4605.

The records of each student with an exceptionality (special education) are reviewed at the end of each school year.  Information the district no longer deems necessary to provide appropriate programming is discarded.  Parents may claim discarded records by contacting the Director of Student Services at 610-351-5555, prior to June 1 each school year.  Copies are available at a cost of 25 cents per double sided page.

Peer Assistance to Learning Support…allowing all students to experience the benefits of friendship, teamwork, and responsibility

What is PALS?

PALS is a student-run organization that fosters relationships between students with and without mental disabilities through one-on-one and group activities. PALS desires to allow all students to experience the benefits of friendship, teamwork, and responsibility.

Elementary:

When a parent or school team member has a concern regarding the student’s progress, they should address their questions to the school guidance counselor. The guidance counselor and/or the instructional support teacher will schedule a team meeting with the parents and all required participants to discuss the request for evaluation. A permission to evaluate (PTE) could be given to the parents to sign, which gives the psychologist permission to begin an evaluation. There will be a multidisciplinary team meeting to review the evaluation report within 60 calendar days after the PTE is signed.

Secondary:

When a parent or school team member requests an evaluation, the guidance counselor will schedule a meeting with the parents and school psychologist to discuss the reason for the referral. A permission to evaluate (PTE) will be signed by the parent, which allows the evaluation process to begin. The guidance counselor will schedule a multidisciplinary team meeting within 60 calendar days after the PTE was signed.

Parent:

Parents must provide their request for an evaluation in writing to either the building principal, Director of Student Services, or school psychologist. The school psychologist and guidance counselor will meet with the parents after reviewing the child’s records. The school psychologist will issue a permission to evaluate (PTE), if necessary, to answer the referral question. The evaluation will be completed within 60 calendar days of the signed PTE.