Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Child Find and Identification Activities
Every public-school entity in Pennsylvania must establish and implement procedures to identify, locate and evaluate all children who need special education programs and services because of a child’s disability. This notice is to help find these children, to aid parents, and to describe the parent’s rights regarding confidentiality of information that will be obtained during the process. Refer to Appendix I: Annual Notice of Special Education Services and Programs for Protected Handicapped Students.

Child Find
Child Find refers to activities undertaken by CCA to identify, locate and evaluate children who are suspected of having disabilities, regardless of the severity of their disability, and determine their need for special education and related services. The purpose is to locate these children so that a free appropriate public education (FAPE) can be made available.

The types of disabilities that, if found, may cause a child to need services include autism, deaf-blindness, deafness, emotional disturbance, hearing impairment, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment due to chronic or acute health problems, specific learning disabilities, speech language impairment, traumatic brain injury and visual impairment, including blindness.

Identification Activities
Identification activities are performed to find a child who is suspected of 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 reviewing of group data, reviewing hearing and vision screening information, assessment of learner’s academic functioning, observation of the learner displaying difficulties and determining the learner’s response to attempted interventions. Input from parents is also an information source of identification. After a child is identified as a suspected child with a disability, the learner is evaluated, but not before parents give written permission for their child to be evaluated. Regardless of screening activities, parents who think their child is a child with a disability may request in writing, once per school year, that an evaluation be conducted to determine if the child is eligible to receive special education services. Written requests should be sent to the principal or the special education regional director.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Eligible Students
CCA welcomes the opportunity to educate learners with disabilities in the cyber environment. CCA provides a continuum of special education services to children with identified disabilities under IDEA and who need special education services and related services. Learners must meet eligibility requirements under IDEA in one or more disability categories. Services designed to meet the needs of the learner with a disability include the development of an at least annual individualized education program (IEP), triennial or biennial multidisciplinary re-evaluation, and the provision of instructional accommodations and modifications as outlined in the IEP. The extent and location of the services for a learner are determined by an IEP team and based upon the learner’s identified needs and abilities, current data, chronological age, and the level of intensity of the intervention specified. Related services necessary for the child to benefit from the program are provided as identified in the IEP.

During the Enrollment Process
At the time of enrollment, parents are requested to indicate if their learner has been identified as a learner with a disability who needs special education services. Parents are asked to submit a copy of the learner’s most recent individualized education plan (IEP), evaluation report and Notice of Recommended Educational Placement (NOREP). All documents are reviewed by the special education administrators, who will call every learner and their family who enrolls with CCA already having an IEP in place. The purpose of this call will be to discuss comparable services and to explain the process of adopting the previous school’s special education paperwork. The learner’s annual review date is noted, and once enrollment is complete, the team begins to schedule IEP meetings.

During the School Year
Being educated in a cyber environment is different than education in a more traditional school. CCA has found that IEPs often need to be revised to more effectively describe the specially designed instruction and related services that a learner needs in this environment. The special education team ensures that teachers have access to the learner’s IEP and can implement the identified accommodations and adaptations included. The Learning Coach plays a significant role in the success of learners with IEPs. Learning Coaches must assist with supporting the learner in the participation and completion of schoolwork. Special education and general education work collaboratively to support and provide guidance to the Learning Coach.

IEP Meetings
The special education team, in conjunction with general education teachers and administrators, conducts at least an annual IEP meeting for each eligible learner. Families are critical members of the IEP team, and CCA works to find mutually agreeable meeting times. Families are encouraged to provide input to the IEP. IEP meetings are conducted via ZOOM.
Related Services Per the learner’s IEP and based on current data, some learners need related services to benefit from education.

Because CCA is a cyber school, the first preference for the provision of related services is to provide them virtually. If this is not feasible due to the learner’s needs or the type of related service, CCA maintains contracts with providers throughout Pennsylvania for in-person services. In either case, the IEP team ensures the services are provided in compliance with the IEP.

Related Services
Per the learner’s IEP and based on current data, some learners need related services to benefit from education. Because CCA is a cyber school, the first preference for the provision of related services is to provide them virtually. If this is not feasible due to the learner’s needs or the type of related service, CCA maintains contracts with providers throughout Pennsylvania for in-person services. In either case, the IEP team ensures the services are provided in compliance with the IEP.

New Referrals
If a learner is struggling in school, teachers will first work with the Learning Coach to implement a series of program modifications that may include attendance in Live Classrooms and Guided Instruction and participation in more intensive instruction. If these documented strategies fail, the learner will be referred to the Student Support Team (SST). SST will meet, review the learner’s progress and data, and make additional recommendations for educational and intervention programming. If the learner fails to respond to these interventions, the team will refer the learner to the special education team. Once the team receives the referral, the process of determining if the learner has a disability and needs special education will begin. Identification of any learner requires a multidisciplinary team evaluation, which includes parental participation and written permission. At any time in the process, parents may formally request that CCA evaluate the learner for a suspected disability.

Surrogate Parents
A surrogate parent is a person designated to assume responsibility in matters relating to the identification, evaluation, and educational placement of learners for whom no parent or guardian can be identified, or their whereabouts are unknown or the child is a ward of the state. Surrogate parents are volunteers who are trained by Capital Area Intermediate Unit staff to serve in this capacity. To qualify as a surrogate parent, you must meet all of the following qualifications:

Surrogate Parent duties include becoming familiar with special education regulations, being involved in IEP processes, and receiving notifications regarding evaluation and/or educational placement of the student. If you or someone you know has an interest in serving as a Surrogate Parent, please contact your local Intermediate Unit, by visiting https://paiu.org/Find-an-IU, or Rebecca Orsinger, director of special education operations, at [email protected].

Qualified Learner with a Disability – Section 504 of the Rehabilitation at Act of 1973
A protected handicapped student is a school-age learner with a physical or mental disability that substantially limits or prohibits participation in or access to any aspect of the school program. In compliance with state and federal law, CCA will provide to each qualified learner with a disability without discrimination or cost to the learner or family, those related aids, services, or accommodations that are needed to provide equal opportunity to participate in and obtain the benefits of the school program and extracurricular activities appropriate to the learner’s abilities. Examples of related services include psychological counseling, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. To qualify as a protected handicapped student, the child must be of school age, with a physical or mental disability that substantially limits or prohibits participation in or access to any aspect of the school program.

CCA or the parent may initiate an evaluation if they believe a learner is a qualified learner with a disability and is in need of a 504 Plan. For further information on the evaluation procedures and provision of services to qualified learner with a disability, parents should contact the principal, guidance counselor, or the 504 coordinator.