All public schools are required by law to provide free and equal
education access to children with special needs. Larger school
districts have their own Special Education departments that provide a full range
of special education services. Smaller school districts may contract
with the Pikes Peak Board of Cooperative Services to provide programs for
special needs children. Please bear in mind that there are ten public
school districts in the Colorado Springs and surrounding
communities. Where you choose to live determines what school district
your child/youth will attend, however, if placement in the neighborhood school
does not meet the need of the student, transportation to the service shool will
be provided.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
ensures that all children from 3 to 21 years of age can go to school and have a
fair chance to learn. This means getting school services that meet
their individual needs. To meet individual needs, schools provide
specially designed instruction which translates to adapting and modifying what
and how schools teach. To ensure services are individualized, schools
develop plans according to an Individualized Education Program
(IEP). All of this is accomplished to ensure children with
disabilities have a fair chance to learn.
Eligibility for special
education services is determined through the Individualized Education Program
(IEP) process. In this process, a student is first referred for
evaluations to determine whether the student has special needs and is eligible
for IDEA services. After the evaluations are completed, an IEP team
comprised of necessary school staff, the student's parents, and at the parents'
or school's discretion, other individuals who know about the student's
needs. The IEP team will determine whether the student has an
impairment, and if so, whether the student needs special education and related
services. Impairments include mental retardation, hearing impairments
(including deafness), speech or language impairments, visual impairments
(including blindness), serious emotional disturbances,orthopedic impairments,
sutism, traumatic brain injuries, other health impairments, or specific learning
disabilities.
Should your child already have an IEP in place from another
state of Department of Defense school, ensure that it is HAND CARRIED along with
all educational records. Do not pack thes important documents in hold
baggage or household goods. Doing so might result in a delay of
continuity of special education services received at the losing
school. Also, keep in mind that, according to the law, Colorado
schools do not have to implement the IEP as written from the losing
school. While the school districts will do so to the best of their
ability, an IEP meeting will be scheduled to write a Colorado
IEP. This process can be facilitated quickly if the IEP is presented
to school officials upon enrollment of your child in his/her respective
school.
For further information, visit "Contacts/Links" below for contact
information on local resources and schools.