Special Education Services
Special Education Services
Special Education Services of Jasper County School District provide a free appropriate public education to all children with disabilities in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). Special education students are served by a faculty and staff of teachers, therapists, and other specialists who are trained to provide state-of-the-art instruction and assistance designed to meet the individual needs of children identified as having disabilities.
Jasper special educators comprise a cohesive team of professionals who work collaboratively and individually to address the unique learning needs of students who qualify for services.
Categories of Disability
- Autism
- Deafness
- Deaf-Blindness
- Hearing Impairment
- Intellectual Disability
- Developmental Delay
- Multiple Disabilities
- Orthopedic Impairment
- Other Health Impairment
- Emotional Disturbance
- Specific Learning Disability
- Speech or Language Impairment
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Visual Impairment, including Blindness
Accessing Special Education Services
Special Education services are accessed through a process of Referral, Evaluation, and Eligibility.
School Aged Children
The process of accessing services for school aged children begins with the child's school and teacher. If you believe your child may need special education services, the first step is to contact the school to discuss your concerns with your child's teachers. Decisions involving special education are individual to the needs of each child. You can also contact the Special Education Department directly at any time to be connected with someone who can assist with questions specific to your student.
Preschool Aged Children
Parents of children aged 3-5 should contact the Jasper County School District at (843) 489-8892. The Office of Special Education is located at 10942 North Jacob Smart Boulevard, Ridgeland, SC. Educational needs are determined through parent interviews and child evaluation. Areas evaluated may include, but are not limited to vision, hearing, speech and language, fine and gross motor skills, cognitive/pre-academic, social/emotional, and adaptive development.
Referral
A parent, teacher, school counselor, or other person involved in a student's education, who believe that a student may require services may make a referral to the student's school of residence. Referral to the Multi-Tiered System of Support/Student Intervention Team will not necessarily result in a referral to special education. The school district is required to seek ways to meet the unique educational needs of all children within the general education program prior to referring a child to special education. The MTSS/SIT team develops a plan of instructional interventions and accommodations to meet the student's needs within the general program. The team may determine that a student will be formally referred to determine eligibility for the special education service. This referral/intervention process occurs even when the original referral comes from a doctor, through a court order, or parent written request.
Evaluation -- see also School Psychologist link
When a student is formally referred, a multi-disciplinary team is formed and develops an evaluation plan and, following the evaluation, determines eligibility. The members of the multi-disciplinary team include parent(s), general education teacher, special education teacher, an assessment specialist, often a school psychologist, and an LEA (local education authority), often a school administrator. Parental permission is required for all initial evaluations and placements. The school district has sixty (60) calendar days from the time informed consent is obtained from the parent to complete the evaluation and determine eligibility.
Eligibility
The determination of eligibility for special education services is two-pronged. After the completion of the evaluation, the multi-disciplinary team reconvenes to determine whether the evaluation results indicate that the student has one or more disabilities outlined in IDEA and to determine whether, due to the disability, the student requires special education services to make progress in the general education program.
Least Restrictive Environment
The Jasper County School District is committed to educating students with disabilities in general classes to the maximum extent appropriate. School multidisciplinary teams give careful consideration to the design and implementation of effective Individual Education Programs. In addition, the district provides a full continuum of special education program models:
- Consultative
- Itinerant
- General Class with Support Services
- Resource Pull out Services
- Intensive Support Class
- Medical Homebound
Individual Education Program
An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is designed for each student with disabilities by a team including:
- Parents or guardians
- At least one of the student's general education teachers
- The special education teacher and/or the special education related service provider as appropriate.
- A representative of the school district (LEA representative)
- Whenever appropriate, the student with a disability
- At the discretion of the parents or the school district, other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the student, including related services personnel as appropriate
IEPs include a statement:
- of the student's present levels of educational performance
- of measurable annual goals, including benchmarks or short-term objectives
- of special education and related services and supplementary aids and services and a statement of program modifications or supports for school personnel to be provided for the student.
- of the extent (if any) to which the student will participate with non-disabled students in the general education class and IEP activities.
- of any individual accommodations or modifications in administration of state and district-wide assessments of student achievement needed for the student to participate in the assessments.
- of the projected date for the beginning of services and accommodations/modifications and anticipated frequency, location, and duration of services and accommodations/modifications.
- of how progress toward annual goals will be measured.
- of transition services.
- that the student has been informed of his/her rights that will be transferred to the student upon reaching the age of majority.
The IEP must be revised when appropriate and reviewed at least annually.
