1. 55 Miller Street
Enola, PA
Tel
Fax

2. Let’s Warm up…
Using the post it note, write a list of what should be included in a letter to the IU requesting an evaluation.

3. Special Education in public schools

4. Non Public School accolades

5. Introductions Review ‘warm up’
Check your post it note
Date
Address
Phone number
Child’s name
Child’s birth date
Specific concerns from the academic setting
Specific observable behaviors
Sign and print name/Send to IU/Meg Makuch

6. The mandates IDEA-Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
United States Code 1412-FAPE
Free and appropriate public education
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
34 §§ Equitable Participation for children placed in non-public schools by their parents

7. What is Equitable Participation?
Certain services are available to students identified as eligible for special education who are unilaterally placed by their parents in private schools through a federal requirement called Equitable Participation.
In Pennsylvania the Intermediate Units are the agencies responsible for the implementation of the federal requirement for Equitable Participation.
The Intermediate Units are not required to offer the same services that would be offered as a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the public school.

8. So who receives services?
Children with disabilities who are enrolled by their parents in private elementary schools and private secondary schools.
The school must meet the definition of an elementary school. A private school that contains only kindergarten is not an elementary school.
Students must
Have one of the 13 disabilities
Must need specially designed instruction

9. The 13 disabilities Autism Deafness Deaf/Blindness Hearing Impairment
Emotional Disturbance
Intellectual Disability

10. 13 Disabilities continued:
Multiple Disability
Orthopedic Impairment
Other Health Impairment
Specific Learning Disability
Speech or Language Impairment
Traumatic Brain Injury
Visual Impairment including Blindness

11. What is the INTERMEDIATE Unit’s yearly timeline?
August
Continuation of service letters are sent to parents

12. Continuation of Services Letter to parents-sent in the summer

13. Time line continued- August
Child count letters are sent out to non public school principals

14. Continuation of Services
Existing students in child count

15. The principal will send this sheet with the proper papers attached.
For new student
The principal will send this sheet with the proper papers attached.

16. Time line continued- September
Equitable Participation coordinator collects all the letters from school and starts to prepare a spreadsheet

17. The timeline continued:
November 1st- Child Count forms are due

18. Let’s dig deeper…

19. What is Child Count?
Federal and state special education regulations require that school districts provide information regarding the numbers and types of special education students.
School districts state their placement options within the district’s continuum of alternative placements.
Student’s disability category, ethnicity, gender, and English Language Learner (ELL) status is what is collected

20. What are the documents needed for Child Count?
An Evaluation Report that is less than 3 years old-
REQUIRED
An IEP cannot be over 1
year old.
if available
The document must have signatures on the PARTICIPATION page
and if SLD.
It CANNOT be a DRAFT copy
Evaluation Team Participation
Agreement and Disagreement required ONLY when evaluating students for specific learning disability
Evaluation Team Participants*
Title
Agree
Disagree**
 Jane Doe
 School Psychologist x
 Jill Brown
 mother
 Jack Blue
 Regular Education
 Justin Blake
 Reading teacher

21. Please remember
The number of children in child count determine the money budgeted for the following school year
Referrals are continually taken throughout the year
Money is not spent on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis
When the money is exhausted all services end-it does not matter when they began
The IU has the final determination on how all monies are spent for Equitable Participation.

22. December 1st:
All child count information is entered into the system and sent to the state. These are IMPORTANT numbers. They determine funds available to children serviced under Equitable Participation for the next school year.

23. Finally: April-May Consultation meetings with: Principals (May 8th)
Parents (May 8th 6-7PM in Laurel Room)

24. Moving on…..

25. What happens when a child needs Special Education services but attends a Non-public school?

27. The referral process.
Parents write a letter requesting testing with specific concerns.
letter is sent to:
CAIU
Attn: EP Coordinator Meg Makuch
55 Miller Street, Enola PA 17025
These are the steps to follow to get a student referred for services under Equitable Participation:

28. Referral Process-home district
Parents request that their home district does the evaluation.
The district will gather data
Issue a permission to evaluate
Present the ER after 60 calendar days
Write an IEP
Only a district can write an IEP
The parents can now see what options are available to them through FAPE in the home district

29. The Referral Process-IU
Once the letter is received, it is given to the school psychologist and he will collect data on the student for 30 days.
The school psychologist will meet with the educational team and the parents as part of the determination
At the end of 30 days the psychologist will issue a Permission to Evaluate if he deems evaluation necessary.

30. Once the Permission is signed the school psychologist has 60 calendar days to complete the evaluation.
IF the evaluation reveals one of the 13 disabilities AND specially designed instruction is needed THEN the school can request services under Equitable Participation.

31. Scheduling the ER/RR meeting:
A meeting should be scheduled for several reasons:
So the team can understand the diagnosis
So the team can understand how the diagnosis effects the student in the academic setting
So the team can obtain signatures on the
ER or RR
The NOREP

32. Signatures are needed for:
Any student identified as a child with a ‘specific learning disability’
Any student identified as ‘non handicapped’
Any student who has a disability category that changes.
For example- was SLD and now is OHI

33. FYI
There is no requirement that states how quickly services begin. We try to get the paperwork done and services assigned within 2 weeks of the evaluation date.
If a provider is not available the IU will contact the parents and the school to inform them. Services will start when a provider is available.

34. What services are offered?
Autism Consultation
Blind/Visually Impaired Consultation
Occupational Therapy
Student Intervention/treatment
Observation/Consultation
Positive Behavior Support Consultation
Reading Services
Student Intervention/Treatment (Gr 3-6)
Observation/Consultation (Gr K-12)
Speech/Language Support
Student Intervention/Treatment
AND
Direct Instructional Support for staff

35. Once a child is Identified…
If the child is evaluated and has a disability and the school requests services
THEN
The service provider will create a service plan for any direct services
It is important to remember that FAPE and EP are different. Parents have given up their right to FAPE by enrolling their child in the non-public school.
There is no individual entitlement.
The service provider will follow the service plan and document growth.
Mid year and end-of-year progress reports are issued

36. Things to remember….
Services provided under Equitable Participation are not to exceed services under FAPE
The IU has the right to review referral requests and determine if services will be provided
The IU is not bound to the level of service OR the goals/objectives within an IEP

37. IU website/EP resources
Caiu.org
Resources
For schools EP
At the very bottom of the page
Child count form
Current menu of services
Definitions
These are updated every year.

38. Where can I access this powerpoint?
This PowerPoint can be accessed on David’s ANPS wiki/moodle

39. Finally… Ticket out the door-One thing you learned you didn’t know before this morning
Help us to help you. Partnership.