1. SPECIAL EDUCATION A REVIEW OF: CHILD FIND/ SPED PROCESS
FERPA AND CONFIDENTIALITY
LENGTH OF SCHOOL DAY

2. CHILD FIND

3. WHAT IS CHILD FIND?
Child Find is a statewide effort by the Alabama State Department of Education and the Department of Rehabilitation Services to locate, identify, and evaluate children with disabilities from birth to age 21.

4. WHO CAN MAKE A REFERRAL?
A parent of a child or a public agency may initiate a request for an initial evaluation to determine if the child is a child with a disability. Intervention strategies (RTI) are implemented for 8 weeks and data collected for student prior to the eligibility meeting.

5. What are the Avenues for Making a Referral?
A referral may be made:
Over the phone
Through the mail
During a parent-teacher conference
By school personnel, e.g., classroom teacher, guidance counselor, bus driver, etc. (following Problem Solving Team guidelines)
By anyone knowledgeable of the child

6. REFERRAL PROCESS
A referral begins with the date that the parent signs the Consent to Evaluate. The total Process from Referral to IEP development is 120 days.

7. IEP TEAM
The IEP TEAM makes decisions about eligibility, evaluations, and programming for the student.
IEP TEAM consist of:
General Education Teacher
SPED Teacher
LEA Rep
Parent

8. ELIGIBILITY
Alabama has thirteen areas of disabilities that a child may qualify for SPED Services.
Eligibility is a TWO Prong Process:
Student must have a defined disability under AAC criteria
Student must be in need of specialized instruction (academic or social need)

10. CONFIDENTIALITY OF STUDENT RECORDS
FERPA
AND
CONFIDENTIALITY OF STUDENT RECORDS

11. What is FERPA?
FERPA is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and is a federal law that was enacted in FERPA protects the privacy of student education records. All educational institutions that receive federal funding must comply with FERPA.

12. What are students' rights under FERPA?
FERPA gives students four basic rights with respect to their education record:
The right to control disclosure of their education record
The right to review their education record
The right to request amendment of inaccurate or misleading portions of their education record
The right to file a complaint regarding non-compliance of FERPA with the Family Policy Compliance Office of the U.S. Department of Education

13. Primary Rights of Parents under FERPA
Right to inspect and review education records
Right to seek to amend education records
Right to consent to the disclosure of information from education records, except as provided by law

14. What are "education records"?
Directly related to a student
Maintained by an educational agency or institution or by a party acting for the agency or institution
Records on a student receiving services under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are “education records” subject to FERPA
Medical or health related records are “education records” subject to FERPA

15. “Personally identifiable information”
The student’s name
The name of the student’s parent or other family members
A personal identifier, such as the student’s social security number, student number, or biometric record
Other indirect identifiers, such as the student’s date of birth, place of birth, and mother’s maiden name

16. “Personally identifiable information,” (cont’d)
Other information that, alone or in combination, is linked or linkable to a specific student that would allow a reasonable person in the school community, who does not have personal knowledge of the relevant circumstances, to identify the student with reasonable certainty
Information requested by a person who the educational agency or institution reasonably believes knows the identity of the student to whom the education records relates

17. LENGTH OF SCHOOL DAY FAPE issue
Must meet requirements for full school day, as with regular ed. students, unless otherwise stated on the IEP
IEP must designate what is best for the child, not what is best for transportation

18. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
ALL INFORMATION AND FORMS DISCUSSED TODAY MAY BE VIEWED AT:
FTPAYK12.ORG
DISTRICT DEPARTMENTS
SPECIAL EDUCATION

19. If you have any questions please contact:
Paula Muskett