Family Connection Nights

Reevaluations are required every three years. At the time of the reevaluation, the IEP team decides if formal assessment is required to address on-going special education eligibility, area(s) of services, or new area(s) of concern. If the team determines new assessments are not necessary, a review of existing information is conducted. In both scenarios, the reevaluation team must determine the following:

1. Does the student have a disability?

2. Does the student demonstrate an adverse educational impact?

3. Does the student require Specially Designed Instruction?

The 504 Process

• The parent or any staff member makes a Referral for a 504 Eligibility Determination to the classroom teacher, school counselor, or building administrator.

  • From the date of Referral, the District will decide if they will or will not evaluate the student for 504 Eligibility. Typically, this involves having a meeting with all relevant team members to discuss all areas of concern for the student.

    • If we do not evaluate the student for eligibility, the parent will receive a Prior Written Notice explaining that decision.

  • If we do evaluate the student for eligibility, the school counselor will ask the Parent for written Consent - allowing us to initiate the process.

  • Once Consent is given, the District will gather a team of relevant members to facilitate the Eligibility process. The team must determine the following:

    • Does the student have a physical or mental impairment?

    • Does the student’s physical or mental impairment affect one or more major life activities?

    • Does the student’s physical or mental impairment substantially limit one or more major life activities?

    • Does the student need accommodations, aids, and/or services during school activities in order for their educational needs to be met as adequately as those of their non-disabled peers?

If your child does not qualify for a 504 Plan, the parent will receive a Prior Written Notice explaining that decision.

• If your child does qualify for an 504 Plan, the District will draft an Initial 504 Plan for review.

  • From this point, the team will  meet at least once per year and;

  • The team will reevaluate your child at least every three years.

The IEP Process

• The parent or any staff member makes a Referral for Special Education Evaluation to the classroom teacher, school counselor, school psychologist, or building administrator.

  • From the date of Referral, the District has 25 school days to decide if we will or will not evaluate the student. Typically, this involves having a meeting with all relevant team members to discuss all areas of concern for the student.

    • If we do not evaluate the student, the parent will receive a Prior Written Notice explaining that decision.

  • If we do evaluate the student, the school psychologist will ask the Parent for written Consent - allowing us to initiate the formal assessments. A Prior Written Notice will be included which explains which areas will be evaluated.

  • Once Consent is given, the District has 35 school days to complete the evaluation. Once completed, an Evaluation Feedback meeting is scheduled to review the results. The team must determine the following:

    • Does the student have a disability?

    • Does the student demonstrate an adverse educational impact?

    • Does the student require Specially Designed Instruction?

If your child does not qualify for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), the parent will receive a Prior Written Notice explaining that decision.

• If your child does qualify for an IEP, the District has 30 calendar days to draft and schedule the Initial IEP meeting.

  • From this point, the team is required to meet at least once per year (from the date of the previous IEP) to review and update the IEP. And,

  • The team is required to reevaluate your child at least every three years.

Still have questions? Please reach out!

In general, the District does not provide tutoring services from third-party tutors. However, the Student Services Department maintains a list of known tutors in the area. Additionally, check with your student’s building administrator to find out about the potential for peer tutoring, Homework Club, or something similar.

At a minimum, special education providers are required to provide progress toward IEP goal(s) updates once per semester and aligned to distribution of general progress reports. Teams can determine more frequent updates. If you would like to receive a different frequency of communication, reach out to your student’s case manager, teacher, or building administrator.

We focus on teaching empathy, communication skills, and conflict resolution to prevent children from being labeled as a bully. In the SVSD, bullying is addressed through education, intervention, and fostering a supportive school and community environment. All schools encourage positive behavior and intervene promptly if there are any signs of bullying. For additional questions,  please contact your child's school counselor and/or administration team.

The district promotes inclusion and celebration of neurodiversity consistently throughout the school year. In the 2023-24 school year, district level administrators and staff set the tone by working cross-departmentally to host Blast 2023, which is rooted in the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Inclusion theme. This two-day event included keynote speakers with expertise in UDL/Inclusion, training sponsored by the Technology, Teaching & Learning, and Student Services departments, and training led by Teacher-Leaders from across the district. As the year has progressed, professional development in UDL, inclusion, and neurodiversity has continued at the district and building level, including Ukeru, Understanding Behavior for the transportation department, Special Education Release days, Building Directed Training, and District Directed Training. The Student Services Department also continues to expand its Continuum of Services to maintain attendance at the neighborhood school and in-district.

We are not sure which Hybrid Model you are referring to, but Specialized Transportation is available in some circumstances and is determined by the IEP team. Specialized transportation can be provided for students with significant health concerns, significant safety concerns, or students who attend (in part or in whole) a non-neighborhood school as a placement decision.

Mount Si High School is adjusting its course selections by reducing the number of co-taught science and social studies classes while expanding English Language Arts and math classes. Additionally, a new process will be implemented to ensure that students with 504 plans and Multilingual Learners (MLs) are not disproportionately placed in co-taught classes. This intentional approach to class rostering ensures that co-taught classes are not used as a general education intervention.

Extra help for students can take on multiple forms including but not limited to:

1. What-I-Need Reading and/or Math (Elementary)

2. Multilingual Specialist Support

3. School Counseling

4. Social Worker/Mental Health Counselor support

5. Referral to Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports Team

6. 504 Plan with Accommodations

7. IEP Plan with Accommodations and/or Modifications

8. Home Hospital Services

9. School-Specific Extra Curricular Activities and Clubs (e.g., Homework Club)

10. Success Coordinator Support (Middle & High)

11. Community Engagement Board to address school absences

SVSD offers a wide continuum of services for students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). That includes, but is not limited to, any combination of the following:

1. General Education classroom with accommodations and/or modifications;

2. STREAM;

3. Special Education staff push-in to support in the general education classroom;

4. Special Education staff pull-out to support in the special education classroom;

5. Co-Teaching Classes;

6. Specialized classrooms for complex needs

   1. Developmental Preschool

   2. Specialty (Elementary)

   3. Social Emotional Behavioral Skills (SEBS, Elementary)

   4. Life Skills (Middle & High)

   5. Transition Learning Center (TLC, 18-21 adult students with disabilities);

7. Specialized support staff (non-exhaustive list)

   1. Speech Therapist

   2. Occupational Therapist

   3. Physical Therapist

   4. Behavioral Technician & Board Certified Behavior Analyst

   5. Teacher of the Deaf

   6. Audiologist

   7. Teacher for the Visually Impaired

   8. Interpreter;

8. IEP Placement at local/national Private School;

9. Specialized Transportation; and

10. Extended School Year.

What-I-Need (WIN) Reading and Math do not continue into the Middle and High Schools. Support for math and reading are provided through the MTSS Structure in that individualized intervention is provided in the general classroom unless your child is eligible for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and the team determines he/she will receive reading/math support in the special education setting.

At this time, the District is experiencing Paraeducator shortages. We are fully staffed with Special Education Teachers, Therapists, and Specialized Staffing (e.g., Audiologist). When there are positions that lack staffing, the District utilizes the following strategies to fill the positions:

1. Timely advertisement, interviews, and reference checks through the District Website.

2. Participation in Regional Job Fairs - both general and job specific.

3. Utilizing contracts with staffing agencies.

4. Utilizing qualified substitutes in the interim