Elmont Union Free School District

The Elmont School District has an ongoing Child find system, which is designed to locate, identify and evaluate any child who may have a disability and be in need of special education services. If you have concerns about your child's development or if you know of a child who lives within the boundaries of the Elmont School District who may have a disability, please contact the Pupil Personnel Services Office at 516-326-5580 extension 20026.

Students with disabilities who do not meet the criteria for services under the Committee on Special Education (CSE) may meet the criteria for receiving accommodation under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act provides for reasonable accommodations for students who have a mental or physical disability that substantially limits and/or impacts the child’s education.

Each Elmont school has a Section 504 Team, which is responsible for determining a student's initial eligibility for accommodations and for periodically reviewing the student's functioning to determine ongoing needs. Parents who suspect that their child may have a disability requiring a 504 Accommodation Plan are encouraged to first explore these issues with appropriate personal/professional staff (i.e., teachers, school psychologist, school social worker, and guidance counselor) who will attempt to remedy academic difficulties on the building level. If pre-referral interventions fail in helping your child improve academically, parents and guardians are encouraged to proceed with a referral to the CSE.

The school district where the nonpublic school is located will be responsible for individual evaluations and development of individualized education programs (IEP's) for students with disabilities, including conducting the Committee on Special Education (CSE) meetings, and for providing special education services to students with disabilities who are parentally placed in nonpublic schools.

If you place your child in a nonpublic school and wish your child to receive special education services while enrolled in that school, you must request those services from the school district where the nonpublic school is located, in writing no later than June 1 before the school year in which services are to be provided.

Previously, you have received a Procedural Safeguards Notice that explains your rights regarding the special education process, but if you need an additional copy, please contact our office.

If you have any questions regarding this information, please contact the Pupil Personnel Services Office.

Preschool

Any child between the ages of 3-5 years old, residing in the Elmont School District, and is suspected of having a developmental delay, can be referred to the Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE). The CPSE will arrange for a comprehensive evaluation to determine if your child meets the New York State Department of Education's criteria to receive special education services. A referral to the CPSE begins with a letter to the Chairperson requesting an evaluation.

If you would like more information about this process, contact Helisse Palmore, Assistant Director of Pupil Personnel Services and Special Education at (516) 326-5580 ext. 42243.

School Age

The Elmont Union Free School District maintains a variety of Special Education services that are offered to children identified by the Committee on Special Education (CSE).

In each school there is a Child Study Team designed to help all teachers. At these team meetings, an individual student is focused on and strategies are offered to general education and special education teachers to assist them in meeting the individual needs of the students in their classes. Meetings are held on a weekly basis.

The Elmont School District has adopted a Response to Intervention Plan. In order for a student to be referred to the Committee of Special Education, the student must have received intervention at the Tier III Level. For more information, please refer to the Response to Intervention Plan.

The New York State Department of Education recognizes thirteen classifications. They include:

• autism
• blindness
• deafness
• emotional disability
• hearing impairment
• intellectual disability
• learning disabilities
• multiple disabilities
• orthopedic impairment
• other health impairment
• speech/language impairment
• traumatic brain injury
• visual impairment

All children suspected of having a disability can be referred by the parent, teacher, school staff or physician. A student with a disability means a child with a handicapping condition as defined in Section 4401 (1) of the Education Law…who, because of mental, physical or emotional reasons, has been identified as having a disability and who requires special services and programs approved by the District. A student may not be considered disabled if the determining factor is:

• lack of appropriate instruction in reading, including essential components of reading instruction. This includes:
  • phonemic awareness
  • phonics
  • vocabulary development
  • reading fluency, including oral reading skills
  • reading comprehension strategies
• lack of instruction in math
• limited English proficiency

Prior to, or as part of the referral process, the student will have received appropriate high –quality, research-based instruction regular education settings, including that the instruction was delivered by highly qualified personnel.

Once referred and parental consent has been received, the following evaluations are necessary to determine if a handicapping condition exists:

• social history
• psychological evaluation
• educational evaluation
• updated medical report
• teacher's report
• classroom observations
• other evaluations as needed

When evaluations are completed, the Committee on Special Education, which consists of a multidisciplinary team, invites the classroom teacher and the parents to attend the meeting. At the meeting, the results of assessments are reviewed. It is determined whether the student qualifies for special education services and an appropriate level of services is recommended.

The continuum of services offered in the District are as follows:

• Related services only which may include speech therapy, socialization, counseling, occupational therapy of physical therapy
• Resource room program is a special education program for a student with a disability registered in a general education class who is in need of specialized supplementary instruction in an individual or small group setting for a portion of the school day.
• Integrated Co-Teaching classroom (ICT) is a classroom in which general education students and students with Individualized Educational Plans (IEP) receive instruction together from two teachers, a general education teacher and a special education teacher. The instruction in the classroom meets the needs of students with and without a disability.
• Special Education class is a class consisting of students with the same disability or with differing disabilities who have been grouped together based on similar individual needs for t he purpose of providing a special education program.

A variety of self-contained special education classes are available in the district. If a student requires more intensive services, various out-of-district programs, including Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) will be explored.

Medicaid

A 1988 amendment to the Social Security Act provided statutory authority for SSHSP, also known as Medicaid in Education, by allowing Medicaid coverage of medically necessary services included in the Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) of students with disabilities. The purpose of SSHSP is to assist school districts, §4201 schools and counties obtaining Medicaid reimbursement for certain diagnostic and health support services provided to students with disabilities. The SSHSP applies to students with Medicaid coverage from age three years up to their twenty-first birthday.

In order for children to receive Medicaid reimbursable services under SSHSP/PSSHSP, they must be Medicaid eligible, be under the age of 21, have been determined to have a disability through the IEP process and have an IEP.

To qualify for reimbursement under New York State Medicaid, SSHSP services must be:

• medically necessary and included in a Medicaid covered category (speech therapy, physical therapy, etc.)
• ordered by a practitioner acting within his or her scope of practice
• included in the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP)
• provided by qualified professionals under contract with or employed by a school district; a §4201 school; an approved pre-school, a county in the State or the City of New York
• furnished in accordance with all requirements of the State Medicaid Program and other pertinent state and federal laws and regulations, including those for provider qualifications, comparability of services, and the amount, duration and scope provisions, and
• included in the State's Medicaid plan and/or available under Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT).

Medicaid Compliance Program

To report suspected fraud, waste, and/or abuse of the Medicaid Program, send a completed Medicaid Abuse Report Form to Helisse Palmore, Compliance Officer:
Pupil Personnel Building
1735 Hempstead Turnpike
Elmont, NY 11003
E-mail: hpalmore@elmontschools.org
Phone: (516) 326-5580 ext. 42237
All complaints should be in writing.

DISCLAIMER: The websites provided here are for informational purposes. The Elmont School District is not responsible for nor does it personally endorse any information found on the websites.

General Resources

• New York Stay in School sponsored by NYASP
• Parent and Educator Resource Guide to Section 504
• Office of Special Education Programs
• Reading Rockets: Teaching Kids to Read and Helping Those Who Struggle
• RTI Action Network
• School Psychology Resources Online
• Technical Assistance Alliance for Parent Centers sponsored by the US Dept. of Ed's Office of Spec. Ed. Programs
• Autism Speaks
• Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD)
• Childhood Anxiety Network - Selective Mutism Group
• Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
• Collaborative for Academic, Emotional and Social Learning
• Brain Injury Association of New York State
• American Speech Language and Hearing Association
• Kids Health
• National Association of Parents and Children in Special Education
• Parent to Parent of NY State - Connecting/Supporting Families, Individuals with Special Needs

Blindness resources

• American Foundation for the Blind
• Helen Keller Services for the Blind

Deafness resources

• National Center for Deaf Health Research
• National Association for the Deaf

Down Syndrome resources

• National Association for Down Syndrome (NADS)
• Association for the Children with Down Syndrome

Dyslexia resources

• International Dyslexia Association
• American Dyslexia Association

Epilepsy resources

• Epilepsy Foundation

What are the steps in the special education process?

1. Initial Referral for Special Education Services
   Students suspected of having a disability are referred to the Committee on Special Education (CSE) or the Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE).
2. Individual Evaluation Process
   The Committee arranges for an evaluation of the student's abilities and needs.
3. Determining Eligibility for Special Education Services
   Based on evaluation results, the Committee decides if the student is eligible to receive special education services and programs.
4. Individualized Education Program (IEP)
   If the child is eligible to receive special education services, the Committee develops and implements an appropriate IEP, based on evaluation results, to meet the needs of the student. Based on the IEP, the Committee must determine the student's placement, ensuring that services are provided in the least restrictive environment (LRE).
5. Annual Review/Reevaluation
   The IEP is reviewed and, if needed, modified or revised by the Committee at least once a year (annual review). The student has a reevaluation at least once every three years.

What is included in an individual evaluation?
Evaluations must be comprehensive and provide information about your child's unique abilities and needs. Evaluations must include information from parents and a group of evaluators as well as information that relates to your child in his or her classroom. It will tell what your child needs to participate and progress in the general education curriculum.
Tests and assessments, given as part of an evaluation, must be given in your child's language. An initial evaluation to determine your child's needs must include:

• a physical examination
• a psychological evaluation (if determined appropriate for school-age students, but mandatory for preschool children)
• a social history
• observation of your child in his or her current educational setting
• other tests or assessments that are appropriate for your child (such as speech and language assessment)

What are the Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) and the Committee on Special Education (CSE)?
Every school district has a CPSE and a CSE that decides a child's special education needs and services. The CPSE is responsible for children with disabilities ages 3-5. The CSE is responsible for children with disabilities ages 5-21. A district can also have Subcommittees on Special Education. As a parent you are a member of the Committee that will recommend special education services for your child.

What happens if my child is eligible for special education services?
If the Committee decides your child is eligible for special education services, the Committee must identify the one disability category that most appropriately describes your child. The determination of a disability category is used solely for eligibility purposes and does not prescribe the program or services your child will receive. The Committee will develop and implement an individualized education program (IEP) to meet your child's needs.