Compliance Notices

According to state and federal special education regulations, annual public notice to parents of children who reside within a school district is required regarding child find responsibilities.

School districts are required to conduct child find activities for children who may be eligible for services via Chapter 14/IDEA. For additional information related to Chapter 14/IDEA, the parent may refer to Chapter 14/IDEA or the website http://www.pattan.net/.School districts are also required to conduct child find activities for children who may be eligible for services via Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. For additional information related to Section 504/Chapter 15 services, the parent may refer to Section 504, Chapter 15, and the Basic Education Circular entitled implementation of Chapter 15. Also, school districts are required to conduct child find activities for children who may be eligible for gifted services via 22 PA Code Chapter 16. For additional information regarding gifted services, the parent may refer to 22 PA Code Chapter 16. If a student is both gifted and eligible for Special Education, the procedures in IDEA and Chapter 14 shall take precedence.

This notice shall inform parents throughout the Riverview School District of the child identification activities and of the procedures followed to ensure confidentiality of information pertaining to students with disabilities or eligible young children. In addition to this public notice additional information is published on the district web site. Children ages three through twenty-one can be eligible for special education programs and services. If parents believe that their child may be eligible for special education, the parent should contact the principal of the local school (Verner Elementary 412-828-1800 x3010; Tenth Street Elementary 412-828-1800 x2010; or Riverview Junior/Senior High School 412-828-1800 x1010) or the Director of Special Education at the District Central Office 412-828-1800 x4010.

Children age three through the age of admission to first grade are also eligible if they have developmental delays and, as a result, need Special Education and related services. If children are less than the age of beginners and at least 3 years of age, they are considered to have a developmental delay when difficulties exists in the areas of cognitive, communicative, physical, social/emotional and self-help development. If you have questions regarding difficulties your child may be experiencing please contact the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, Preschool Early Intervention, 475 E. Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120, 412-394-5739.

Identification activities are performed to find a child who is suspected as having a disability that would interfere with his or her learning unless special education programs and services are made available. These activities are sometimes called screening activities. The activities include: review of group data, conducting hearing and vision screening, assessment of student’s academic functioning, observation of the student displaying difficulty in behavior and determining the student’s response to attempted remediation. Input from parents is also an information source for identification. These activities take place at the child’s school throughout the school year. Parents of school age children may request an evaluation by contacting: Director of Special Education, Riverview Administration Office, 701 Tenth Street, Oakmont, Pa. 15139 or at 412-828-1800 extension 4010. Parents of preschool age children, age three through five, may request an evaluation in writing by addressing a letter to the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, Preschool Early Intervention, 475 E. Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA. 15120.

School entities cannot proceed with an evaluation or re-evaluation, or with the initial provision of special education and related services, without the written consent of the parents. For addition- al information related to consent, please refer to the Procedural Safeguards Notice which can be found at the PaTTAN website, www.Pattan.net or your local school. Once written parental con- sent is obtained, the district will proceed with the evaluation process.

Once the evaluation process is completed, a team of qualified professionals and parents determine whether the child is eligible. If the child is eligible, the individualized education program team meets, develops the program, and determines the educational placement. Once the IEP team develops the program and determines the educational placement, school district staff, inter- mediate unit staff, or charter school staff will issue a notice of recommended educational placement/prior written notice. Your written consent is required before initial services can be provided. The parent has the right to revoke consent after initial placement.

Students identified as eligible for special education are entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) available at no cost to parents. Services designed to meet the needs of eligible

students include the annual development of an Individualized Education Program (IP), a triennial re-evaluation, and special education services in or outside of the regular education classroom.

In addition, some students will need services outside of a regular school. The decision about the type of services needed and the location is made by the IEP team, based on the student’s identified needs, abilities, and chronological age. Some students will need related services such as transportation, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech and language services to benefit from the educational program. Before a student can begin to receive special education services, parents will be asked to sign a Notice of Recommended Educational Placement (NOREP). If parents agree with the services offered, their signature and agreement are recorded on this document. If parents disagree, they may seek to resolve differences by requesting a pre-hearing conference, mediation, and/or a due process hearing. Further information can be obtained by calling 412-828-1800 or by visiting http://parent.pattan.net/.

Public school education may be accessible to resident students attending nonpublic schools on a dual enrollment basis in a special education program operated in a public school. A multidisciplinary evaluation which determines the child’s eligibility for services must be conducted and,

if eligible, an Individualized Education program (IEP) plan is developed. Parents of nonpublic school students who suspect that their child is disabled and in need of special education may re- quest a multidisciplinary evaluation of their child through a written request to the building principal or director of special education.

The Riverview School District will provide to each protected handicapped student without discrimination or cost to the student or family those aids, services, or accommodations which are needed to provide equal opportunity to participate in and obtain benefits of school programs and extracurricular activities to the extent appropriate to the student’s abilities. To qualify as a protected handicapped student, the child must be of school age with a physical or mental handicap which substantially limits or prohibits participation in or access to an aspect of the school pro- gram. Services for protected handicapped students are distinct from those applicable to disabled students enrolled in special education programs. Protected handicapped students fall under Pennsylvania’s Chapter 15, also known as Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act. In contrast, students with disabilities who qualify for special education are covered by regulations contained in Pennsylvania’s Chapter 14. While both Chapter 14 and 15 provide services to students, there are technical differences between the two. Additional information about evaluation procedures and provision of services to protected handicapped services is available by contacting the building principal.

Riverview School District maintains records concerning all children enrolled in the school, including students with disabilities. All records are maintained in the strictest confidentiality. Your consent, or consent of an eligible child who has reached the age of maturity under state law, must be obtained before personally identifiable information is released, except as permitted under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA-C.F.R., Part 99), most recently amended December 2011. The age of maturity in Pennsylvania is 21. Each participating agency must protect the confidentiality of personally identifiable information at collection, storage, disclosure, and destruction stages. One official at each participating agency must assume responsibility for ensuring the confidentiality of any personally identifiable information. Each participating agency must maintain, for public inspection, a current listing of the names and positions of those employees within the agency who have access to personally identifiable information.

For additional information related to student records, the parent can refer to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA): “FERPA General Guidance for Parents” on the Family Policy Compliance Office Web site: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/parents.html. If you have questions or wish to report a potential FERA violation, contact FPCO at: 1-800-USA- LEARN (1-800-872-5327). In order to access the final regulations online please visit: www.feder- alregister.gov.

This notice is only a summary of the Special Education services, evaluation and screening activities, and rights and protections pertaining to children with disabilities,

children thought to be disabled, and their parents. For more information or to request evaluation or screening of a public or private school child, contact Mrs. Judene Sykes in the Special Education Office, 701 Tenth Street, Oakmont, Pa. 15139 or 412-828-1800 extension 4010 or the Special Education page on the district website:

www.rsd.k12.pa.us.

The school entity or charter school will not discriminate in employment, educational pro- grams, or activities based on race, color, national origin, age, sex, handicap, creed, marital status or because a person is a disabled veteran or a veteran of the Vietnam era. No preschool, elementary or secondary school pupil enrolled in a school district, Intermediate Unit, or charter school program shall be denied equal opportunity to participate in age and program appropriate instruction or activities due to race, color, handicap, creed, national origin, marital status or financial hardship.