Special Education

What is Child Find?

Child Find refers to the federal requirement under the individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that all children in need of special education services are identified, located and evaluated. Schools are responsible for conducting Child Find and identifying all IDEA-eligible students that reside in their jurisdiction. Child Find is not a passive activity, but rather an active process. 

Programs for Children with Disabilities

Programs for children with disabilities are designed to provide specialized instruction, support, and services to meet their unique educational, developmental, and social needs. These programs can be tailored to various types of disabilities, including learning disabilities, physical disabilities, intellectual disabilities, sensory impairments, and emotional or behavioral disorders.

Special Education Services for Students in Private or Home Schools

At Wise County Shared Services, we are committed to ensuring that every child with disabilities receives the support they need to succeed. Our services extend beyond public schools to include students in private schools and those who are homeschooled. Through our comprehensive evaluation process, we identify and address each child's unique needs. For those not enrolled in public school, we offer specific services funded by a proportionate share of federal IDEA funds, ensuring equitable access to specialized instruction, therapies, and resources. Our goal is to provide every student with the opportunity to reach their fullest potential in a supportive and inclusive environment.

Parent Referral Process

Parents who suspect that their child may have a disability can initiate the referral process by contacting their child's school or Wise County Shared Services directly. This process begins with a written request for an evaluation, detailing the concerns and observations that have led to the suspicion of a disability. Once the referral is received, the school or shared services team will provide parents with a Notice of Procedural Safeguards and either a Notice and Consent for the assessment or prior written notice detailing why the district declines to move forward with an assessment. If consent is obtained, the school has 45 school days to complete the evaluation and 30 calendar days to hold an eligibility determination meeting.

School Referral Process

When school staff, such as teachers or counselors, observe that a student is struggling academically, socially, or behaviorally, they can initiate a referral for a special education evaluation. This process begins with the teacher documenting specific concerns and the interventions already attempted in the general education setting. The referral is then submitted to the school's Multi-Tiered Student Support Team. A meeting is scheduled with the student's parents, teachers, and specialists to review the documented concerns and discuss potential evaluations. According to TEA timelines, the school must provide parents with a Notice of Procedural Safeguards and obtain written consent for the evaluation. Parents have the right to decline the evaluation and must document their decision on the consent form. If consent is obtained, the school has 45 school days to complete the evaluation and 30 calendar days to hold an eligibility determination meeting.

Upon completing the evaluation, the district or charter school must give the parent a copy of the evaluation report at no cost. Additional information regarding special education is available from the district  in a companion document titled  Notice of Procedural Safeguards and Parent’s Guide to the Admission, Review, and Dismissal Process.

Qualifying Disabilities for Special Education 

At Wise County Shared Services we work to provide special education and related services to eligible students. To be covered, a child's school performance must be "adversely affected" by one of the 13 conditions below:

• OI - Orthopedic Impairment
• OHI - Other Health Impairment
• DHH - Deaf or Hard of Hearing
• VI - Visual Impairment
• DB - Deaf Blind
• ID - Intellectual Disability
• ED - Emotional Disability
• SLD - Specific Learning Disability
• SI - Speech Impairment
• AU - Autism
• TB - Traumatic Brain Injury
• NCEC - Non-categorical Early Childhood
  • *Suspected disability: AU/ID/ED/SLD
• MD - Multiple Disabilities

For further information: https://www.spedtex.org/resources/disabilities