Is Your Child Having Difficulty in Sc

Westmoreland Intermediate Unit REAL - Providing Resources, Education, Assistance, and Leadership to our community

Does your child have special needs?

PARENT RESOURCE GUIDE FOR STUDENTS VOLUNTARILY ENROLLED IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Contents Introduction 3

Is your child having difficulty in school? 4

Has your child been identified as needing special education? 4

Evaluation Timelines 5

Early Intervention 5

Reevaluation 5

Evaluation Process 6

Reevaluation Process 7

Services Provided in the Non-Public Schools 8

Special Education Disabilities 9

Non-Public Schools Contact List 12

Westmoreland County Public Schools Contact List 14

Westmoreland Intermediate Unit Contact List 16

Introduction

2 The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that requires each state to ensure that a free appropriate public education (FAPE) is available to all elgibile children with disabilities residing in that state. The information is this booklet explains the provisions related to, and benefits available to, children with disabilities who are enrolled by their parents in private schools, including religious schools, when the provision of FAPE is not at issue. In IDEA, these children are often referred to as “parentally placed private school children” with disabilities, and the benefits available to them differ from the benefits for children with disabilities in public schools.

IDEA is designed to improve educational results for all children with disabilities. Therefore, it provides benefits and services to children with disabilities in public schools and requires school districts to make services and benefits available to children with disabilities enrolled by their parents in nonpublic (private) schools. The law includes language requiring state education agencies (SEA’s) and local education agencies (LEA’s) to ensure the equitable participation of parentally placed children with disabilities in programs assisted by or carried out under the equitable participation requirements that apply to them.

The LEA’s obligations to parentally placed private school children with disabilities are different from its responsibilities to those enrolled in public schools or to children with disabilities placed in a private school by a public agency (rather than by parents) as a means of providing FAPE. Parentally placed children with disabilities do not have an individual entitlement to services they would receive if they were enrolled in a public school. Instead, the LEA is required to spend a proportionate amount of IDEA federal funds to provide equitable services to this group of children. Therefore, it is possible that some parentally placed children with disabilities will not receive any services while others will. For those who receive services, the amount and type of services also may differ from the services the child would receive if placed in a public school by the parents or in a private school by a public agency. LEA’s are required to consult with private school representatives and representatives of parentally placed children with disabilities during the design and development of special education and related services for these children.

Further information regarding IDEA regulations can be found at http://idea.ed.gov

 Is your child having difficulty in school?  Has your child been identified as needing special education services?

3 If you believe that your child may be in need of a special education program, an evaluation process to assess your child’s needs is available to you at no cost through the school district in which you live or from the intermediate unit (IU) in which your private school is located. A special education program often involves adapting materials and modifying instruction to better meet your child’s specific learning/behavior needs.

If you request an evaluation, a team of experts trained in assessing children will determine if your child has a disability and, if so, is in need of special education and related services. You are an important member of your child’s evaluation team.

Before the school district or the intermediate unit proceeds with an evaluation, it will notify you in writing (Permission to Evaluate) of the specific types of tests and procedures it plans to use, and of your rights throughout this process. The evaluation cannot be scheduled until you sign the written notice (Permission to Evaluate), indicating that you consent to the proposed testing and assessments, and return the notice to the school district or intermediate unit.

If, after the evaluation, your child is found to have a disability and in need of special education and related services, the public school will offer to write an Individualized Education Program (IEP). An IEP is a written document that specifically describes the services your child needs. The services in the IEP will be offered to your child in a public school placement. If you wish to accept the offer, you will have to enroll your child in the public school. It may also be possible to dual enroll your child so that your child attends the nonpublic school for part of the day and the public school for part of the day. (There is no requirement to offer special education services under dual enrollment)

If your child has already been evaluated and offered services in an IEP, and you chose not to accept the services, communicate this to your child’s principal. Again, your child may still be eligible for certain services.

Certain services are available to students indentified as eligible for special education who are unilaterally placed by their parents in private schools through a federal requirement called Equitable Participation (EP). In Pennsylvania, the IU is the agency responsible for the implementation of the federal requirement of EP. EP requires that each IU, following a federal funding calculation, must expend a designated amount of federal IDEA funds on services and/or resources for students identified as eligible for special education services whose parents have unilaterally chosen to place their child in a private school. The IU is not required to offer the same services that would be offered as a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the public school. The IU is mandated to offer those services determined by their annual consultation with their private school agencies. In circumstances where the allocation of funds for EP under the federal calculation is exhausted, the IU would cease to provide any EP services until the next fiscal year. The IU must participate annually in the notification, consultation, and

4 collaboration with their private school agencies in their local geographic area as required under IDEA 2004 regulations.

If you are interested in finding out more about the special education process, please speak with your child’s principal. For additional information, feel free to contact the school district in which you live or the Equitable Participation Specialist at the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit.

Contact information can be found at the end of this document.

Evaluation Timelines The evaluation must be completed and a copy of the Evaluation Report (ER) or Psychological Report must be provided to the parent within 60 calendar days from the date the Permission to Evaluate form is received by the Public School District or the Intermediate Unit.

Early Intervention For the purpose of this procedure, Westmoreland Intermediate Unit #7, as the MAWA holder, will have all responsibilities related to the provision of services to preschool children with respect to child find and survey activities.

Reevaluation Students receiving equitable participation services must be reevaluated every three years, unless the school and parent decide that the reevaluation is unnecessary. Waiving the reevaluation is appropriate if after reviewing student records and progress it is determined the student is making adequate progress in the current program and accommodations are effective. If both the school and parents agree to waive the reevaluation, the Agreement to Waive Reevaluation form will be sent to the parents. Students diagnosed with Mental Retardation must be reevaluated every two years and agreeing to waive the reevaluation is not permitted.

If it is determined that the reevaluation is necessary, parental consent is required to conduct the reevaluation. However, please be aware that after reasonable attempts to obtain parental permission, if your response is not received the law states that the school may proceed with the reevaluation. A team will conduct the proposed reevaluation and you as parents are an important member of the reevaluation team. In the reevaluation, your child’s educational needs and strengths will be reviewed as well as educational progress. Additional assessments may be administered to your child at this time. The reevaluation must be completed within 60 calendar days of receipt of the Permission to Reevaluate.

Evaluation Process

5 RE-EVALUATION PROCESS

6 Prior to the Re-Evaluation Anniversary Date

Services Provided in the Nonpublic School

7 A. Services must be provided by personnel meeting the same standards (certification) as personnel providing the services in the public school B. Nonpublic school students with disabilities may receive a different amount of services than children would receive if in the public schools. C. Nonpublic school students have no entitlement to any service or to any amount of service the child would receive if enrolled in a public school. D. School District and/or IU, in consultation with nonpublic schools, will make the final decision about the equitable participation services to be provided. 1. Service decisions should be made annually. 2. Type and amount of services may vary from year to year. 3. No guarantee that the same services would continue for specific schools, staff, or individual student E. Types of services that can be provided to nonpublic school students with disabilities proportionate to services provided to student with disabilities in the public schools of the Intermediate Unit 7.

1. Equitable Participation Services (IDEA-Part B) Technical assistance, training/staff development, observation, or consultation, etc. will be provided in the following areas: a. Curriculum Adaptation and Modifications b. Inclusion c. Transition d. Behavior Support e. Interagency Coordination

2. Act 89 Services a. Speech and Language Services b. Guidance c. Remedial Math/Reading d. Standardized Testing e. Psychological Services

Special Education Disabilities

8  Autism A developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.

 Deaf-Blindness Concomitant hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness.

 Deafness A hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.

 Emotional Disturbance A condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child’s educational performance:

(A) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors (B) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers. (C) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances (D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression (E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems

The term includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance.

 Hearing Impairment An impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness in this section.

 Mental Retardation

9 Significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.

 Multiple Disabilities Concomitant impairments (such as mental retardation-blindness or mental retaration- orthopedic impairment), the combination of which causes such severe educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for one of the impairments. Multiple disabilities does not include deaf-blindness.

 Orthopedic Impairment A severe orthopedic impairment that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term includes impairments caused by a congenital anomaly, impairments caused by disease (e.g., poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis), and impairments from other causes (e.g., cerebral palsy, amputations, and fractures or burns that cause contractures.)

 Other Health Impairment Having limited strength, vitality, or alertness, including a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli, that results in limited alertness with respect to the educational environment, that (i) Is due to chronic or acute health problems such as asthma, attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, sickle cell anemia, and Tourette syndrome; and

(ii) Adversely affects a child’s educational performance.

 Specific Learning Disability . General – A disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.

. Disorders not included – Does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.

A student may demonstrate a specific learning disability in any of the following 8 areas: 1. Oral Expression 5. Reading Fluency Skill 2. Listening Comprehension 6. Reading Comprehension 3. Written Expression 7. Mathematics Calculation 4. Basic Reading Skill 8. Mathematics Problem Solving  Speech or Language Impairment

10 A communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.

 Traumatic Brain Injury An acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Traumatic brain injury applies to open or closed head injuries resulting in impairments in one or more areas, such as cognition; language; problem-solving; sensory, perceptual, and motor abilities; psychosocial behavior; physical functions; information processing; and speech. Traumatic brain injury does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or to brain injuries induced by birth trauma.

 Visual Impairment including Blindness An impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness.

11 Westmoreland County Non-Public Schools Contact List 2008-2009

School Contact/Address Telephone Aquinas Academy Cherie Rullo 724-834-7940 340 N. Main Street 724-836-0497 (f) Greensburg, PA 15601 [email protected]

Armbrust Wesleyan Christian Betty Jean Sweitzer 724-925-3830 115 Route 819 Hecla Road 724-925-1862 (f) Armbrust, PA 15616 [email protected]

Cardinal Maida Academy Karen McClarnon 724-568-3304 315 Franklin Avenue 724-567-1900 (f) Vandergrift, PA 15690

Champion Christian School Merle Skinner/Belinda Lane 724-593-9200 Ext. 103 1076 King’s Way 724-593-9210 (f) Donegal, PA 15628 [email protected] [email protected] 2166 Indian Head Road Champion, PA 15622

Christ the Divine Teacher Timothy Larouere 724-539-1561 323 Chestnut Street 724-532-3873 (f) Latrobe, PA 15650

Christian Fellowship Academy Shelli Prindle 724-523-2358 2005 Ridge Road [email protected] Jeannette, PA 15644

Clelian Heights School Sr. Charlene Celli 724-837-8120 135 Clelian Heights 724-837-6480 (f) Greensburg, PA 15601 [email protected]

Elizabeth Seton Montessori Sr. Anita Schulte 724-837-8500 294 Old Frye Farm 724-837-6480 (f) Greensburg, PA 15601

Grace Bible Academy Jason Losier 724-537-2840 128 Bradenville School Road 724-537-3244 (f) Bradenville, PA 15620 [email protected]

Greensburg Central Catholic HS Fr. Daniel Blount/Donald Favero 724-834-0310 Carla Burke (9-10th guidance) 724-834-2472 (f) 911 Armory Drive [email protected] Greensburg, PA 15601 [email protected]

Harvest Christian Academy Pastor Shawn Lyons 724-694-8222 224 Pittsburgh Street 724-694-5789 (f) Derry, PA 15627

12 Heritage Baptist Academy Timothy Cron 724-523-8820 1015 Lowry Avenue Jeannette, PA 15644

Holy Trinity School Barbara Sabo 724-238-6430 327 W Vincent Street 724-238-6688 (f) Ligonier, PA 15658 [email protected]

Mary Queen of Apostles Catherine Collett 724-335-5911 100 Freeport Road 724-337-6457 (f) New Kensington, PA 15068 [email protected]

1129 Leishman Avenue New Kensington, PA 15068

Mother of Sorrows School Joe Rice 724-733-8840 3264 Evergreen Drive 724-733-8807 (f) Murrysville, PA 15668

Northwestern Human Services Sharon Greene 724-446-7282 Autism School 121 St. Edwards Lane 724-446-7284 (f) Herminie, PA 15637 [email protected]

Queen of Angels Catholic School Linda Holsopple 724-978-0144 1 Main Street 724-978-0171 (f) North Huntingdon, PA 15642 [email protected]

St. John the Baptist School Joseph Dreliszak 724-887-9550 504 S. Broadway Street Scottdale, PA 15683

St. Sebastian School Steven Dorko 724-929-5143 815 Broad Avenue Belle Vernon, PA 15012

Valley School of Ligonier Clair P Ward/Johnny DeRose 724-238-6652 P.O. Box 616 Ligonier, PA 15658

Westmoreland Christian Academy Melody Stoltenberg 724-853-8308 538 Rugh Street Greensburg, PA 15601

13 Westmoreland County Public School District Contact List 2008-2009

District Contact Person (LEA) Telephone Number Belle Vernon Area Amy B. Baumgart 724-808-2500 ext. 5500 Rostraver Elementary School 300 Crest Avenue Belle Vernon, PA 15012 [email protected]

Burrell Brian Ferra 724-334-1443 Ext. 3154 Huston Middle School 1020 Puckety Church Road Lower Burrell, PA 15068 [email protected]

Derry Area David Momper 724-694-1408 Administration Office 982 North Chestnut St. Ext. Derry, PA 15627-7600 [email protected]

Franklin Regional Ron Tarosky 724-327-5456 Ext. 7614 Administration Office 3210 School Road Murrysville, PA 15668-1553 [email protected]

Greater Latrobe Lucinda Soltys 724-539-4213 Administration Office 410 Main Street Latrobe, PA 15650-1598 [email protected]

Greensburg Salem Lisa Rullo 724-832-2906 Administration Office 1 Academy Hill Place Greensburg, PA 15601-1839 [email protected]

Hempfield Area Alene Mancini 724-850-2457 Administration Office 555 Rial Lane Greensburg, PA 15601 [email protected]

Jeannette City Carmine Pontillo 724-523-2050 Central Administration Building 198 Park Street Jeannette, PA 15644-0418 [email protected]

14 Kiski Area Ray Milke 724-845-2022 Administration Office 200 Poplar Street Vandergrift, PA 15690-1491 [email protected]

Ligonier Valley Dr. Tammy Cavanaugh 724-238-5696 Administration Office 339 West Main Street Ligonier, PA 15658-1131 [email protected]

Monessen City Mildred Blasko 724-684-4456 Monessen Elementary Center 1275 Rostraver Street Monessen, PA 15062-2099 [email protected]

Mount Pleasant Area Michael Picarsic 724-547-4100 Administration Office 271 State Street Mount Pleasant, PA 15666 [email protected]

New Kensington-Arnold Timothy Glasspool 724-337-6395 Administration Office 701 Stevenson Boulevard New Kensington, PA 15068 [email protected]

Norwin Dr. Margaret F. Zimmer 724-861-3037 Administration Building 281 McMahon Drive North Huntingdon, PA 15642 [email protected]

Penn-Trafford Gregory N. Karazsia 724-744-4496 Administration Building P.O. Box 530 Harrison City, PA 15636-0530 [email protected] Southmoreland Dr. John Molnar 724-887-2047 Administration Building 609 Parker Avenue Scottdale, PA 15683-1098 [email protected]

Yough Dawn Hildenbrand 724-872-5164 Ext. 3065 Special Education Office 171 Route 31 Ruffs Dale, PA 15679 [email protected]

15 Westmoreland Intermediate Unit Contacts

Kate Zingarelli Educational Programs Specialist Westmoreland Intermediate Unit 102 Equity Drive Greensburg, PA 15601 [email protected] 724-836-2460 ext. 2310

Michelle Ogg Equitable Participation Specialist Certified School Psychologist Westmoreland Intermediate Unit 102 Equity Drive Greensburg, PA 15601 [email protected] 724-836-2460 ext. 2338

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