Special Education

• Children suspected of having a disability that requires special education and related services must first have a full and individual evaluation that is completed by the school system before these services can begin.  A referral for initial evaluation may be requested by the parent, school staff, or other people or agencies.  
• Once an initial referral has been made, a meeting is held with the school team, the school psychologist, and the family in order to review any progress monitoring data and/or private evaluations and to discuss the evaluation process with parents.  

• There are many interventions available to all students without special education services through the Multi-Tier System of Supports; these may be discussed and considered during the referral process.  

• If the team decides to proceed with the evaluation after the meeting, a designated school employee will request signed parental permission to evaluate.  

• All initial evaluations must be completed within 60 calendar days of receiving parental consent for evaluation with the following exceptions:

  • School holidays and other circumstances where children do not attend school for 5 consecutive school days will not be counted towards the 60-day timeline, including the weekend days before and after such holiday periods

  • Any summer vacation period in which the majority of SCCS teachers are not under contract will not be included in the 60-day timeline

  • If the parent of the child repeatedly fails or refuses to bring the child for evaluation

  • If the child enrolls in another school system after the testing timeline has begun

  • Extenuating circumstances such as illness, unusual evaluation needs, or revocation of parental consent for evaluation affect this timeline

• Once a child is found to be eligible for special education services, the IEP team must reevaluate the child at least once every three years to redetermine eligibility unless the parent and the rest of the IEP team determine that further evaluation is unnecessary.

• Once the evaluation has been completed, the parent will be invited to review the results of the evaluation with the eligibility team, a team of qualified professionals that will help interpret the results of the evaluation,  and determine (a) if the child is a child with a disability and (b) the educational needs of the child.  

• All children with disabilities between the ages of 3-21 that live in the Social Circle City School District (SCCS) are entitled to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE), including children that have been suspended or expelled from school.  

• These special education and related services that make up FAPE are provided to children identified with disabilities who have an IEP at no cost to the parent and a delay of the implementation of these services is not allowed.

• Graduation and Diplomas:  The IEP team will agree on a projected graduation date as part of each student’s transition plan.  Most Social Circle High School students that are eligible for special education services will work towards earning a regular high school diploma.  For some students, the IEP team may that it would be more appropriate for the student to work towards a non-regular diploma.  A description of the various options for diploma types for students with special needs can be found here.  

• An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written statement for each child with a disability that must be developed, reviewed, and revised/amended in a meeting with an opportunity for parental participation and input.

• The IEP Team should consist of the following participants:

  • The parents of the child

  • At least one general education teacher of the child

  • At least one special education teacher/provider of the child

  • A representative of the school district (referred to as LEA Representative in the IEP documents) who is qualified to provide, or supervise the provision of, specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of children with disabilities, is knowledgeable about the general education curriculum, and is knowledgeable about the availability of resources of Social Circle City Schools (SCCS).

  • Someone that is qualified to interpret evaluation results as needed.

  • Any other individuals that have knowledge of or special expertise regarding the child as included by SCCS or the parent (this can include related service providers)

  • The child with a disability as appropriate

• The IEP sections include:

  • A statement of the child’s current levels of academic achievement and functional performance

  • How the child’s disability affects his/her involvement and progress in the general education environment (or for preschool children, how their disability hinders their involvement in preschool activities)

  • Assessments that have been given to the child and identified academic, functional, and/or developmental needs

  • Any parental concerns that are reported to the IEP team

  • A statement of consideration of special factors that may be hindering the child’s progress (ex:  behavior difficulties, a consideration of the need for assistive technology, alternative formats for instructional materials, communication delays, visual or hearing impairments, etc)

  • A statement of annual goals to address their ability to be involved and make progress in the general education curriculum and that will address their individual area(s) of need with stated criteria for progress monitoring and the criteria for mastery of the goal.

  • A statement of when and how parents can expect to receive progress reports on their child’s progress towards his/her IEP goals/objectives

  • A plan for services that will be provided to the child, including the frequency, location, and duration of the services.

  • A statement of the modifications and/or accommodations that are required for this child to participate to the maximum extent in the general education environment

    • This document should also include accommodations or modifications required in order for the child to participate in standardized or classroom testing

  • A consideration of Extended School Year (ESY)

  • Beginning no later than the student’s ninth grade year or his/her 16th birthday, the IEP team will also develop and agree on a Transition Plan with input and involvement from the student.

  • At least one year prior to the student’s 18th birthday, the IEP should also include a statement that the student has been informed of the student's rights under Part B of the IDEA, if any, which will transfer to the student on reaching age 18 

• SCCS special education personnel will make every effort to invite and include parents in IEP meetings.  If no response is received from the parent after at least three attempts, SCCS will hold the meeting and provide notice of  any decisions to the parent following the meeting.

• The IEP must be reviewed at least one time per year to ensure that the information is current and that the services provided are appropriate for the child.

• Social Circle City Schools (SCCS) uses the Procedural Safeguards Notice created by the Georgia Department of Education as the document that is offered to parents either when a consent to evaluate is requested, when a meeting notice is sent home, or at a meeting.  This information is presented either in a pamphlet format or a condensed version can also be offered to parents in their native language.  The condensed version also provides links to informational videos that can assist parents with understanding their rights related to Special Education.  The contents of either version contain detailed information or electronic links to information regarding:

  • prior written notice

  • Parental Consent

  • access to education records

  • complaint process

  • mediation

  • student placement during a pending due process

  • Independent Educational Evaluations (IEE)

  • private school placement by the parent

  • due process hearings

  • attorneys’ fees

  • the right to receive procedural safeguards information in a language understandable to the parent

• A child ages 3-21 is considered to have a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004) if he/she meets eligibility criteria under one or more of the following areas of eligibility and needs special education and related services:

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Deafblind

  • Deaf/Hard of Hearing

  • Emotional and Behavioral Disorder

  • Intellectual Disability (mild, moderate, severe, profound)

  • Orthopedic Impairment

  • Other Health Impairment

  • Significant Developmental Delay

  • Specific Learning Disability

  • Speech-Language Impairment

  • Traumatic Brain Injury

  • Visual Impairment

• Once the evaluation has been completed, the parent will be invited to review the results of the evaluation with the eligibility team, a team of qualified professionals that will help interpret the results of the evaluation,  and determine (a) if the child is a child with a disability and (b) the educational needs of the child.  A copy of the evaluation report and determination of eligibility will be provided at no cost to the parent.

• When a student transfers into SCCS from either from another school system within Georgia or from out of state with special education eligibility, an SCCS school psychologist will be assigned to review the student’s testing and eligibility information from the previous district, to include a review to ensure that SCCS possesses the correct documentation of their disability and special education eligibility.  If the school psychologist determines that a Reevaluation Redetermination meeting should be recommended, this will be communicated to the case manager so that this can be scheduled in a timely manner

Public Notification of Special Education Document Destruction for Students Turning 22

In accordance with the State of Georgia Records Retention Schedules for Local Government Paper and Electronic Records, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Social Circle City Schools will be destroying special education documents for students turning 22 years old, prior to August 1st, that received special education services through Social Circle City Schools.  These records, which include the student’s Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), meeting notifications, evaluation reports,  regulations on the destruction of data collected, and all other personally identifiable information within the Special Education file will be destroyed by June 30th of the current fiscal year. If you wish to maintain this information for your personal records, please contact the SCCS Special Education Department to request these records prior to the destruction date.