Special Education

Special Education And 504 Plan

Special Services

Special education provision in the public school setting for students aged 3 through 22 is guided by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA). When a student is suspected to have a disability that may require special education, a referral is made to the school district. Relevant data is then gathered through file review and further assessment as necessary. When a student is found to meet eligibility criteria for any special education category ( http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/categories/ ), an Individual Education Plan will need to be developed. This plan will entail a number of critical components, and include specific goal areas to be addressed. Sometimes a student with a disability may not meet these criteria, yet require some accommodation to ensure safety and success in school. As with IDEIA eligible students, these students are eligible for assistance under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). When required, a section 504 plan is developed to address their needs.

A good source for descriptions of these and related topics is found here:
( http://www.specialednews.com/special-education-dictionary.htm )

Programs
Chicago Ridge School District 127.5 offers a range of programs to support the development of its students with special needs. The early childhood special education program runs both a morning and afternoon classroom at Ridge Central School. Resource support is provided in both the Ridge Lawn and Ridge Central elementary buildings, which delivers academic assistance to kindergarten through fifth grade students for a portion of their school day. Co-taught classes are available for students in grades 5-8 to allow them to have academic assistance for all core subjects in the general education curriculum. For students that require more intensive curriculum modification, self-contained classrooms may be recommended. These classrooms operate at Ridge Central and Finley Jr. High.

Aside from academic support, students may also be recommended to receive any of the following:

Social Work Services
Speech/Language Services
Health Services
Occupational/Physical Therapy
Various other Itinerant Services

Services for students with low incidence disabilities may also be provided through programs of support through the Eisenhower Cooperative ( http://www.eisencoop.org/ )

The Illinois State Board of Education website contains additional information on a wide range of special education topics ( http://www.isbe.state.il.us/spec-ed/html/topics.htm ), as well as a parent guide ( Parent Guide ) to help you understand the process.

If you have specific questions regarding district programming, or concerns about your child; please contact me at (708) 636-2000 ext.1020 or chillegonds@crsd1275.org