KRSD Special Education
Special
education is instruction that is specially designed to meet the unique
needs of children who have disabilities. Certain children with
disabilities are eligible for special education and related services.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defines
childhood disabilities to include a number of different emotional or
physical conditions. Specifically, IDEA defines a “child with a
disability” as a child with mental retardation; hearing, speech, or
language impairments; visual impairments; orthopedic impairments;
serious emotional disturbance; autism; traumatic brain injury; other
health impairments; or specific learning disabilities, who for this
reason, needs special education and related services.
Children with learning disabilities receive instruction designed to
meet their needs that result from the disability and to help them learn
the information and skills that their non-disabled classmates are
learning.
Who is eligible for special education?
According to the IDEA, the disability must affect the child's educational performance.
State and federal laws guarantee every student a Free and Appropriate
Public Education (FAPE). Each school district is responsible for
identifying children who have a disability that could interfere with
their learning and for making accommodations for that child so that
they may have access to the general curriculum in order to be able to
participate with regular education students to the maximum extent
possible. More information about special education can be found at the New Hampshire Department of Education site.
Understanding the Special Education Process
Kearsarge Regional School District Committee on Special Education
In spring 2003, the School Board identified the need for a study
committee to review the district’s Special Education program. This need
was prompted by the Board’s interest in determining if its special
education programs are effective and efficient. Specific concerns
focused on the budget, potential sources of revenue, the rate of out of
district placements, the roles of paraprofessionals, simplification of
paperwork and most important, the assessment of student and program
outcomes. The Board also wanted an assessment of the degree with which
the district engages in best instructional practices. Special Education
services are complex, requiring compliance with legislated mandates and
at the national, state, and local level represent a large portion of
funding. The review and monitoring of services is a critical function
and one which should be on-going and reported to all stakeholders on a
regular basis. The committee worked many hours to provide an in-depth
study covering the areas above and to develop a plan to address areas
of continued growth and improvement.
Last Modified on 10/5/2009 9:00:38 PM
