Baldwin-Whitehall School
District maintains a cumulative student record for each child.
This information is kept in order to assist in the day-to-day
operation of the educational programs and to meet the requirements
of federal and state laws. The information regarding each child
includes student identification and attendance data, information
on academic progress and performance and results of standardized
group achievement and cognitive ability tests. Records of standardized
tests taken by secondary students on a voluntary basis, usually
for college entrance purposes, are also recorded. Disciplinary
records, certain juvenile history record information and student
health records also are maintained as required by state law.
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:
1.
The right to inspect and review the student's
education records within forty-five (45) days of the day
the District receives a request for access. Parents or
eligible students should submit to the school principal
a written request that identifies the record(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.
2.
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 Baldwin-Whitehall School District
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 to 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.
3.
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 disclosure 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); a person serving on the School
Board; a school probation officer; 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
or educational agency in which a student seeks or intends
to enroll. Under FERPA, the District also may disclose
without consent "directory information" concerning
a student. For example, directory information may be included
in publications such as sports programs, newspapers, radio
and television news releases, awards and graduation programs,
yearbooks, musical and play programs and other school publications.
Certain directory information also may be disclosed, upon
request, to colleges and universities and military recruiters.
Directory information is information not generally considered
harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed, including
but not limited to the student's name, address, telephone
number, e-mail address, photographs, videotapes and other
visual images, date and place of birth, major fields of
study, grade level, participation in school activities
and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams,
dates of attendance, degrees and awards received and other
similar information. Parents who wish to have their children
exempted from publication or other disclosure of directory
information may do so by letter to the school principal.
This includes the right to request that information about
their children not be disclosed to military recruiters.
The letter must be received by the school principal at
least thirty (30) days prior to the date of publication
or other disclosure of information.
4.
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:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-4605
NOTIFICATION OF RIGHTS
UNDER THE PROTECTION OF PUPIL RIGHTS AMENDMENT (PPRA)
PPRA affords parents
certain rights regarding our conduct of surveys, collection
and use of information for marketing purposes, and certain
physical exams. These include the right to:
-
Consent before students are required to
submit to a survey that concerns one or more of the following
protected areas ("protected information survey")
if the survey is funded in whole or in part by a program
of the U.S. Department of Education (ED)—
1.
Political
affiliations or beliefs of the student or student's
parent;
2.
Mental or
psychological problems of the student or student's
family;
3.
Sex behavior
or attitudes;
4.
Illegal,
anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior;
5.
Critical
appraisals of others with whom respondents have close
family relationships;
6.
Legally
recognized privileged relationships, such as with
lawyers, doctors, or ministers;
7.
Religious
practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student
or parents; or
8.
Income, other
than as required by law to determine program eligibility.
-
Receive notice and an opportunity to opt a student
out of—
1.
Any other
protected information survey, regardless of funding;
2.
Any non-emergency,
invasive physical exam or screening required as a
condition of attendance, administered by the school
or its agent, and not necessary to protect the immediate
health and safety of a student, except for hearing,
vision, or scoliosis screenings, or any physical
exam or screening permitted or required under State
law; and
3.
Activities
involving collection, disclosure, or use of personal
information obtained from students for marketing
or to sell or otherwise distribute the information
to others.
-
Inspect, upon request and before administration or
use—
1.
Protected
information surveys of students;
2.
Instruments
used to collect personal information from students
for any of the above marketing, sales, or other distribution
purposes; and
3.
Instructional
material used as part of the educational curriculum.
These rights transfer
from the parents to the student who is 18 years old or an emancipated
minor under State law. Baldwin- Whitehall School District has
adopted policies and practices in accordance with the Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) which protect the
privacy of personally identifiable information contained in
student records. As a matter of educational policy and practice,
the District does not conduct protected information surveys
and does not collect, disclose or use personal information
about students for marketing or to sell or otherwise distribute
such information to others. In the event of any change in District
policy or practice, the District will directly notify parents
of these policies and practices at
least annually at the start of each school year and after any
substantive changes. The District will also directly notify,
such as through U.S. Mail or email, parents of students who
are scheduled to participate in the specific activities or
surveys noted below and will provide an opportunity for the
parent to opt his or her child out of participation in the
specific activity or survey. The District will make this notification
to parents at the beginning of the school year if the District
has identified the specific or approximate dates of the activities
or surveys at that time. For surveys and activities scheduled
after the school year starts, parents will be provided reasonable
notification of the planned activities and surveys listed below
and be provided an opportunity to opt their child out of such
activities and surveys. Parents will also be provided an opportunity
to review any pertinent surveys. Following is a list of the
specific activities and surveys covered under this requirement:
1.
Collection, disclosure, or use of personal
information for marketing, sales or other distribution.
2.
Administration of any protected information
survey not funded in whole or in part by ED.
3.
Any non-emergency, invasive physical examination
or screening as described above.
Parents who believe their rights have been
violated may file a complaint with:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-5901
SPECIAL EDUCATION POLICY
The Baldwin-Whitehall
School District is responsible for locating, identifying and
educating children who are in need of special educational programming.
If anyone in the community is aware of a child with a disability
such as mental retardation, blindness or deafness or with a
physical disability who needs special placement and is not
receiving it, please notify the school district at 412-884-6300.
SERVICES FOR PRESCHOOL
AGE CHILDREN
Services for pre-school
age children with disabilities who reside in suburban Allegheny
County, are provided through two different systems linked by
a transition process. Birth through age two programming is
provided through the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare funding
and is coordinated by the Alliance for Infants and Toddlers,
Inc. Students who are three years old to entry age are serviced
through the Pennsylvania Department of Education funding. This
preschool program is presently coordinated by the Allegheny
Intermediate Unit’s EarlyChildhood and Family Support
Services program, DART.
For more information,
please contact the Alliance for Infants and Toddlers, Inc.
at 412-885-6000 or the Allegheny Intermediate Unit/DART Program
at (412) 394-5736.
SERVICES FOR SCHOOL
AGE STUDENTS
The school district
provides a free, appropriate public education to students with
according to state and federal mandates. To be eligible, the
child must be of school-age, need specially designed instruction,
and meet eligibility criteria for one or more of the following
physical or mental disabilities as set forth in the Individual
with Disabilities Education Improvement Act which was re-authorized
in 2004.
• Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disorder
• Speech and Language Impairment
• Blindness/Visual Impairment
• Mental Retardation
• Deaf Blindness
• Multiple Disabilities
• Deafness/Hearing Impairment
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Physical Disability
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Emotional Disturbance
• Other Health Impairment
• Specific Learning Disability
Students who are eligible
for special education are provided with a continuum of services
designed to meet their individual needs. These services may
include supportive intervention in the regular class, supplemental
intervention in the regular class or in a special education
resource program, placement in a part-time or full-time special
education class in a regular school or placement in a fulltime
special education class outside of the regular school. The
extent of special education services and the location for the
delivery of such services are determined by the parents and
staff at the IEP team meeting and is based on the student’s
identified needs and abilities, chronological age, and the
intensity of the specified intervention. The school district
also provides related services, such as transportation, physical
therapy, and occupational therapy, that is required to enable
the student to derive educational benefits. Special education
services within the school district include: learning support,
emotional support, life skills support, speech and language
support, vision support and hearing support.
SCREENING AND EVALUATION
The Baldwin Whitehall
School District has a three-part screening process in place
that identifies any student who may need special education.
Level 1: Review of Group-Based Data
The building principals and classroom teachers
review enrollment information, academic and health records
and results from group-based tests such as DIBELS, Iowa
Tests of Educational Development, and the Pennsylvania
System of School Assessment. For incoming kindergarten
students, results from a developmental assessment are examined.
Data gathered through a thorough review of these records
may prompt a referral for screening a child for special
education.
Level 2: Review of Hearing, Vision, Motor,
Speech and Language
As prescribed by Section 1402, the district
routinely conducts screenings of a child’s hearing
acuity each year in kindergarten, first, second, third,
seventh, and eleventh grade. Vision acuity is screened
annually in grades kindergarten through 12. Speech and
language skills are screened in kindergarten and upon referral
to the speech therapist. Gross motor and fine motor skills,
academic and social-emotional skills are assessed by the
classroom teacher and support staff on an on-going basis.
Specified needs from all of these screening sources are
noted within the child’s official file, discussed
with parents and, when appropriate, referred to the Intervention
Planning Team which meets bi-monthly to conduct various
on-going screening and to develop interventions.
Level 3: Intervention Planning
The Intervention Planning Team (IPT) is
a group process aimed to maximize individual student success
in the regular classroom, consider barriers to learning
as a component of the Student Assistance Program, and to
serve as a screening process for students who may be in
need of special education services. IPT is a positive,
team based process which uses intervention techniques to
help remove educational, behavioral or affective stumbling
blocks for all students in the regular classroom. The IPT
program runs from kindergarten through grade 12. Referrals
for IPT intervention may be initiated by the parent, classroom
teacher or any staff member. The Intervention Planning
Team includes the child’s classroom teacher, the
school principal, school nurse, the guidance counselor
and/or school social worker, and a school psychologist.
Depending on the needs of the student, the speech therapist,
Title I teacher, academic support teacher andrepresentatives
from community agencies may also participate in the process.
Parents are encouraged to provide information through the
classroom teacher.
The IPT process involves
three steps:
1.
Identifying a student’s need for academic
and behavior support
2.
Determining strategies needed to assist the
student.
3.
Implementing intervention strategies through
a continuum of services
After
an initial assessment of the student’s academic, behavioral,
and/or coping skills, the IPT recommends strategies tobe implemented
to help the student achieve success in the regular classroom.
The team determines what support is needed for the student
to maintain a level of success in the classroom. These strategies
are implemented, monitored and then evaluated by the team.
If the student’s teachers report a positive change,
the strategies are continued. If there is not progress, the
student may be referred for a multidisciplinary evaluation
(MDE).
MULTIDISCIPLINARY EVALUATION
(MDE)
The MDE is a process
to gather information that will be used to find out if children
really do need special education and, if so, the types of services
needed.
Prior to an MDE, the
District must obtain permission via the Permission to Evaluate
form. Before an evaluation can occur, the form must be signed
by the parent or legal guardian. Multidisciplinary evaluations
are coordinated by a certified school psychologist. Team members
including the parents, classroom teacher, principal, social
worker, school psychologist, persons familiar with the student’s
educational experience and cultural background, and other pertinent
individuals that work with the student provide information
as a part of the evaluation. The evaluation must be sufficient
in scope and depth to provide information about the student’s
academic functioning, adaptive and social behavior, learning
problems, strengths, response to intervention and parent information.
All of this information is compiled into an Evaluation Report
(ER). This report recommends whether a child has one or more
disabilities.It also recommends whether or not the child requires
special education, and the type of program and services that
the child needs. The ER may recommend that a child is not exceptional
and, therefore, does not need special education services. If
this
is recommended, the report will list changes that may be made
in the regular classroom to maximize the child’s success.
All members of the MDT, including the parents, are entitled
to review the ER.
Parents of students
who suspect that their child is eligible and in need of special
education may request screening or a multidisciplinary team
evaluation of their child through a written request to the
building principal. Communication with parents and students
shall be in English or the native language of the
parent.
Reevaluations for students
who are eligible for special education services, are completed
as necessary when requested by one or more members of the IEP
team and in compliance with the requirements of IDEIA. Reevaluations
for students with mental retardation are completed every two
years.
INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION
PROGRAM
Children who are eligible
with a disability and in need of specially designed instruction
are entitled to receive special education services. These services
are described in the Individualized Education Program (IEP)
which is written by the IEP team. Required members of the IEP
team include:
-
The child’s parents
-
At least one of your child’s regular
education teachers
-
At least one special education teacher
-
A representative from the school district who:
-
Is qualified
to provide or supervise special education programs
-
Knows about
the general curriculum
-
Knows what
resources the Local Education Agency (LEA) an offer
-
Someone who
can interpret the evaluation results, who may already
be a member of the team
-
At your request
or that of the school, other people who know your
child well or who have worked with your child
-
Your child (at age 16
when planning will be done for life after graduation
or any time before that age when you want your child
to be present)
-
A representative from
a vocational-technical school if a vocational-technical
school is being considered for your child
The IEP team will review
all of the evaluation material determine how the child is performing
in school, and write annual measurable goals to meet the child’s
needs. IEPs for eligible students are developed on an annual
basis, or sooner, if requested by one or more members of the
IEP team. The extent of special education services and the
location for the delivery of such services are determined by
the parents and staff at the IEP team meeting and are based
on the student’s identified needs and abilities, chronological
age and the level of intensity of the specified intervention.
NOTICE OF RECOMMENDED
EDUCATIONAL PLACEMENT
Once the IEP has been
developed, a Notice of Recommended Educational Placement (NOREP)
is issued to the parent. The NOREP explains the placement or
class recommended for your child and explains the rights of
parents. Parents must approve the NOREP in writing for the
child’s
initial special education placement . The Baldwin Whitehall
School District offers a continuum of educational services
designed to meet the needs of eligible students. In additional,
related services such as transportation, occupational therapy,
physical therapy, vision support, and deaf and hearing support
are available to those students that qualify.
Detailed information
regarding special education procedures may be obtained by calling
the Pupil Services Department at 412- 885-7583.
SERVICES FOR PROTECTED
HANDICAPPED STUDENTS (CHAPTER 15)
In compliance with
state and federal law, the Baldwin Whitehall School District
will provide to each protected handicapped student without
discrimination or cost to the student, or family, those related
aids, services or accommodations which are needed to provide
equal opportunity to participate in and obtain the benefits
of the school program and extracurricular activities to the
maximum extent appropriate to the student’s abilities.
In order to qualify as a protected handicapped student, the
child must be of school-age with a physical or mental disability
which substantially limits or prohibits participation in or
access to an aspect of the school program.
These services and
protections for “protected handicapped students” are
distinct from those applicable to all eligible or exceptional
students enrolled or seeking enrollment in special education
programs.
For further information
on the evaluation procedures and provision of service to protected
handicapped students, contact:
Pupil Services Department
Virginia Deasy
Supervisor of Special Education
Baldwin-Whitehall School District
4900 Curry Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15236-1817
412.885-7583
SERVICES FOR STUDENTS
IN NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS
Non-public school students
who are eligible for special education services have the opportunity
to enroll on a part-time, dual enrollment basis in a special
education program operated within the district.
Parents of nonpublic
school students who suspect that their child has a disability
and is in need of special education may request a multidisciplinary
team evaluation of their child through a written request to
the district’s Supervisor of Special Education or by
calling the Pupil Services Department at 412-885-7583.
ENGLISH AS A SECOND
LANGUAGE
The Baldwin Whitehall
School District offers a K-12 English as a Second Language
(ESL) Program. The ESL program is designed to provide non-native
English-speaking students with the language skills they need
to participate successfully in content area classes. To meet
this goal, ESL instruction addresses the ESL and Pennsylvania
Academic Standards in Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening
to enable full participation. The emphasis placed on achieving
benchmarks is adjusted to the needs of the individual student.
An underlying objective is to provide a source of support as
the student seeks to understand and adapt to his or her new
cultural and academic setting. ESL teachers work to develop
an appreciation of their students’ strengths within the
school setting and to ensure full access to the range of educational
opportunities available in the district.
HOME EDUCATION
Parents or guardians
in Pennsylvania are able to home school their children as an
option to compulsory school attendance. The law specifies the
requirements and responsibilities of the parents and the school
district where the family lives. Parents interested in a home
education program for their children need to submit the following
to the superintendent’s office:
1.
A notarized affidavit of the supervisor
of a home education program
2.
Outline of proposed objectives as specified
by Home Education Law
3.
Photocopies of the student’s immunization
and health records
4.
Photocopies of the supervisor’s
high school diploma and post graduate diplomas, if applicable
Upon review and acceptance
of the application, home school supervisors must maintain a
portfolio of the student’s work and a log of instructional
hours, as specified in the Home Education Law. Students in
grades 3, 5, and 8 must be administered a nationally normed
standardized achievement test. Results of the test should be
included in the home education portfolio. At the end of each
school year, the portfolio must be reviewed by a certified
home schooled valuation, as specified in the Home Education
Law. The portfolio and evaluation report should be submitted
to the district’s Home School Coordinator by the end
of each year. The portfolio is reviewed to assure that an appropriate
home education program is being conducted.
Home education procedures, laws, and applications can be found on the Pennsylvania
Department of Education website at www.pde.state.pa.us/home_education/site/default.asp.
Questions regarding home education may also be directed to The Supervisor of
Special Education at 412.885.7583.
GIFTED SCREENING PROCEDURES
According to the Pennsylvania
Regulations and Standards in Special Education, mentally gifted
pupils are defined as having: “ Outstanding intellectual
and creative abilities the development of which requires special
services not usually available in the regular education program.
This term includes a person who has an IQ of 130 or higher
and when multiple criteria as set forth in the Department of
Education guidelines indicate gifted ability. Determination
of gifted ability shall not be based on IQ score alone. Intellectual
ability is and should reflect a range of assessments including
a student’s performance as well as potential. A person
with an IQ score lower than 130 may be admitted to gifted programs
when other educational criteria in the profile of the person
strongly indicate gifted ability. Determination of mentally
gifted shall include a full assessment and comprehensive report
by a public school psychologist specifying the nature and degree
ofthe ability.” The Baldwin Whitehall School District
has established procedures whereby the Intervention Planning
Team reviews student performance data.
These records include,
but are not limited to: standardized and criterion referenced
test data, developmental checklists, anecdotal records, curriculum-based
assessments, formative evaluation procedures and portfolios
in order to assist in the early identification of any student
who may require differentiated instruction. Teachers, parents
and administrators form the team to discuss the child and strategies
to meet the child’s academic strengths. The team meets
according to a timeline developed by the district to monitor
and assess the development and progress of the student. If
the team agrees that the child’s needs are not being
addressed, a multidisciplinary evaluation will be initiated
upon written
permission from the parents. If the student is eligible, a
gifted individual education program will be written.
Further information
about these procedures may be obtained by calling the Supervisor
of Special Education at 412.885.7583.
CHILD ABUSE 5123
In accordance with
the Child Protective Services Law Act 124, any professional
employee of the School District who has reason to believe abuse
of a student shall notify the appropriate building principal
who shall immediately refer the suspected case to the Assistant
Superintendent. The Assistant Superintendent will make or cause
to be made a report to the appropriate Child Welfare Agency.
Approved: July 13, 1977
Revised Policy Board Approved: October 13, 1993
