Child Find

MIDDLETON-CROSS PLAINS AREA
SCHOOL DISTRICT

NOTICE OF CHILD FIND ACTIVITY

This notice is also available in Spanish on request.

The school district has a duty to locate, identify, and evaluate all resident children with exceptional educational needs, regardless of the severity of their disability. Therefore, the school district has a special education screening program to locate and screen all children with suspected disabilities who are residents of the district and who have not graduated from high school. The school district locates and screens children in the following groups: children below school-entry age; children entering school for the first time; children currently enrolled in public and private schools; all transfer pupils; school-age children who are eligible to attend school but who are not attending school and who are residents of the district. Upon request the school district will screen any child to determine whether a special education referral is appropriate. Such a request may be made by contacting Erin Kuehn, Director of Special Education, Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District, at 608-829-9054, or by writing her at 7106 South Avenue, Middleton, WI 53562.

Annually the district conducts developmental screening of preschool children. Each child's motor, communication, and social skills are observed as the child plays at various play areas. Each child is weighed and measured, and the child's hearing and vision is checked. The information gathered is used to provide the parent with a profile of their child's current development and to provide suggestions for follow-up activities. Parents learn about community services available to them and speak with representatives of agencies serving families. When there is reasonable cause to believe a child has a disability, the child is referred for evaluation by a school district multidisciplinary team (M-team). Developmental screening will be part of the kindergarten screening this Spring. Watch for the dates at your local school. A parent or a physician, nurse, teacher at a state or county residential facility, psychologist, social worker or administrator of a social agency who has reasonable cause to believe that a child brought to him or her for services is a child with a disability has a legal duty to report the child to the school district in which the child resides. Before referring the child, the person making the referral must inform the child's parent that the referral will be made. The referral must be in writing and must include the reason why the person believes the child is a child with a disability. When the district receives the referral, after obtaining the parent's consent, it will appoint an M-team to evaluate the child for eligibility for special education. A referral for M-team evaluation of a child residing in the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District may be sent to Erin Kuehn at the school district address indicated above.

Many educational opportunities are available in the community for children with disabilities. The school district provides special education and related services for children ages 3 to 21 with cognitive disabilities, orthopedic impairments, other health impairments, autism, traumatic brain injuries, visual handicaps, hearing handicaps, speech and language handicaps, learning disabilities, and emotional disturbances. The County Board provides special education and related services for children with disabilities ages birth to 3. The school district offers special education and related services for children ages 3 through 5 with significant developmental delays. The Head Start Program provides educational opportunities for qualifying 4- and 5-year-old children.

The school district maintains pupil records containing personally identifiable information gathered during screening for each child referred for M-team evaluation. The school district maintains pupil records in the interest of students to assist in providing appropriate educational experiences. All records directly related to a student and maintained by the school district are pupil records. With limited exception, these records are confidential. Pupil records include records maintained in any way including, but not limited to, computer storage media, video and audio tape, film, microfilm, and microfiche. Records maintained for personal use by a teacher and not available to others and records available only to persons involved in the psychological treatment of a child are not pupil records. Section PI 11.37(2)(e), Wis. Admin. Code, requires school districts to maintain, as part of the pupil records of a child with a disability, parental consents for M-team evaluation; parental consents for placement in special education; any data used by M-teams to reach decisions, such as evaluation reports; the reports developed by M-teams; individualized education programs (IEPs); placement offers; medical prescriptions required to substantiate any health treatment services provided by the district; medical evaluations, if used to substantiate determination of a disability; and any other records required under subchapter V of chapter 115, Wis. Stats. The school district maintains several classes of records. "Progress records" include records of grades, the courses the child has taken, the child's attendance record, immunization records, and records of extra-curricular activities. Progress records must be maintained for at least five years after the child ceases to be enrolled. "Behavioral records" include such records as psychological tests, personality evaluations, records of conversations, any written statement relating specifically to the pupil's behavior, tests relating specifically to achievement or measurement of ability, physical health records, and other pupil records that are not "progress records." Behavioral records may be maintained for no longer than one year after the child graduates or otherwise ceases to be enrolled, unless the parent specifies in writing that the records may be maintained for a longer period of time.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students over 18 years of age ("eligible students") certain rights with respect to the student's education records. They are:

* The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day the school district receives a request for access. Parents or eligible students should submit to the school principal [or appropriate school official] a written request that identifies the records(s) they wish to inspect. The principal will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.

* The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate or misleading. Parents or eligible students may ask the MCPASD to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the school principal, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the district decides not the amend the record as requested by the parent or eligible student, the district will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and advise them of their right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.

* The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosures to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the district as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the school board; a person or company with whom the district has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); or a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Upon request, the district discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll. Also the district discloses "directory data" without consent. Directory data means those education records which include the student's name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, photographs, degrees and awards received, and the name of the school most recently previously attended by the student.

* The right to file a complaint with the U. S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the District to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20202-4605.