Child Find Policy

Child Find Annual Notice to Parents and Procedural Safeguards

Notice of Special Education Services & Programs

2023-2024 SY

It is the responsibility of the Pennsylvania Department of Education to ensure that all children with disabilities residing in the Commonwealth, regardless of the severity of their disability, and who are in need of special education and related services, are identified, located, and evaluated. Imhotep Institute Charter High School (IICHS) provides special education services for students with all levels of ability.

This responsibility is required by a federal law called the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The IDEA requires each state educational agency to publish a notice to parents before any major identification location or evaluation activity. The IDEA requires this notice to contain certain information. Pennsylvania law requires each school district to fulfill this notice requirement by providing an annual public notice. This notice, in summary form, is to help find these children, offer assistance to parents, and describes the parents’ rights with regard to confidentiality of information. If a person does not understand any of this notice, he or she should contact the Imhotep Institute Charter High School or the School District of Philadelphia to request further explanation.

The content of this notice can be translated into other languages. An interpreter will be provided for parents with limited English proficiency. If a parent is deaf or blind or has no written language, the school will arrange for communication of this notice in the mode normally used by the parent.For more information on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act please visit https://sites.ed.gov/idea.

The Imhotep Institute Charter High School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs or activities. Career and technical education program offerings include: health; public safety; child care; technology; graphic arts; and any additional programs or classes. Inquiries may be directed to the Rose Munga-Kioko, Title IX Coordinator or Niesha Harrison, the Section 504 Coordinator at 6201 N 21st Street, Philadelphia, PA 19138 or phone 215-438-4140.

Special Education Services for Preschool Age Students

Act 212, the Early Intervention Services System Act, entitles all preschool children with disabilities to appropriate early intervention services. Young children experiencing developmental delays or physical or mental disabilities and their families are eligible for

early intervention services including screening, evaluation, individualized education program planning and provision of appropriate programs and services.

Special Education Services for School-Age Students

Imhotep Institute Charter High School; provides a free, appropriate public education to eligible students. To qualify as an eligible student, the child must be of school age, in need of specially designed instruction and meet eligibility criteria for mentally gifted and/or one or more of the following physical or mental disabilities as defined by

Pennsylvania State Regulations: autism, deaf-blindness, hearing impairment (including deafness), emotional disturbance, intellectual disability, multiple-disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, specific learning disability, speech or language

impairment, traumatic brain injury or visual impairment (including blindness).

Imhotep Institute Charter High School engages in identification procedures to ensure that eligible students receive an appropriate educational program consisting of special education and related services, individualized to meet student needs. At no cost to the

parents, these services are provided in compliance with state and federal laws and are reasonably calculated to yield meaningful educational benefit and student progress. To identify students who may be eligible for special education, various screening activities

are conducted on an on-going basis.

In order to identify children with disabilities and provide appropriate interventions for Imhotep Institute Charter High School, will initiate forms of assessments that when considered with other indicators will suggest appropriate levels of tiered interventions or the issuance of a Permission to Evaluate for special education services. These

screening activities include: review of group-based data (cumulative records, enrollment records, health records, report cards, ability, and achievement test scores); hearing, vision, physical, and speech/language screening; and review by building-level

intervention teams. When screening results suggest that a student might be a student with a disability, the school district seeks parental consent to conduct a multidisciplinary evaluation. Please note that a parent has the right to request a Functional Behavior Assessment or a Comprehensive Evaluation for Special Education any time before or

during the screening process. Upon either written or verbal request to a member of the Imhotep professional staff, a parent will receive the Permission to Evaluate Form within 10 days. An evaluation will be completed within 60 days of the return of the PTE form. Parents who suspect that their child is eligible for special education services may request a multidisciplinary evaluation at any time through a written request to the School Principal or Director of Student Support Services.

Services designed to meet the needs of eligible students include the annual development of an Individualized Education Program (IEP), bi-annual or tri-annual multidisciplinary re-evaluation, and a full continuum of services, which include Itinerant, Supplemental, or Full-Time Levels of Intervention. The extent of special education services and the location for the delivery of such services are determined by the IEP team and are based on the student’s identified needs and abilities, chronological age, and the level of intensity of the specified intervention. Imhotep Institute Charter High School also provides related services, such as transportation, speech and language

therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy, required for the student to benefit from the special education program. Parents may obtain additional information regarding special education services and programs and parental due process rights by contacting the child’s Building Principal or the Director of Student Support Services.

Under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, or "IDEA 2004," children qualify for special education and related services if they have one or more of the following disabilities and, as a result, need such services:

Intellectual Disability;
Hearing Impairment, including deafness;
Speech or Language Impairment;
Visual Impairment, including blindness;
Emotional Disturbance;

Orthopedic Impairment, or physical disability;
Autism, including pervasive developmental disorders;
Traumatic Brain Injury, or neurological impairment;
Other Health Impairment; and
Specific Learning Disability.

Children with more than one of the listed disabilities could qualify for special education and related services as having multiple disabilities.

Available Programs and Services for Children with Disabilities

Public schools must ensure that children with disabilities are educated to the maximum extent possible in the regular education environment and let the instruction they receive conforms as much as possible to the instruction that non-disabled students receive. Programs and services available to students with disabilities, in descending order of

preference, may include:

(1) regular class placement with supplementary aides and services provided as needed in that environment;

(2) regular class placement for most of the school day with itinerant service by a special education teacher either in or out of the regular classroom;

(3) regular class placement for most of the school day with instruction provided by a special education teacher in a resource classroom;

(4) part time special education class placement in a regular public school or alternative setting; and

(5) special education class placement or special education services provided outside the regular class for most or all of the school day, either in a regular public school or alternative setting.

Depending on the nature and severity of the disability, the public school can provide special education programs and services in areas such as

(1) the public school the child would attend if not disabled,

(2) an alternative regular public school either in or outside

the school district of residence,

(3) a special education center operated by a public

school entity,

(4) an approved private school or other private facility licensed to serve children with disabilities,

(5) a residential school,

(6) approved out-of-state program, or

(7) the home.

Special education services are provided according to the primary educational needs of the child, not the category of disability. The types of service available include:

(1)learning support, for students who primarily need assistance with the acquisition of academic skills;

(2) life skills support, for students who primarily need assistance with

development of skills for independent living;

(3) emotional support, for students who primarily need assistance with social or emotional development;

(4) deaf or hearing impaired support, for students who primarily need assistance with deafness;

(5) blind or visually impaired support, for students who primarily need assistance with blindness; physical support, for students who primarily require physical assistance in the learningEnvironment;

(6) autistic support, for students who primarily need assistance in the areas affected by autism spectrum disorders; and

(7) Multiple disabilities support, for students who primarily need assistance in multiple areas affected by their disabilities. Related services are designed to enable the child to participate in or access his or her program of special education. Examples of related services include but are not limited to, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, nursing services, audiologist services, counseling, and family training.

The public school, in conjunction with the parents, determines the type and intensity of special education and related services that a particular child needs based exclusively on the unique program of special education and related services that the school develops

for that child. The child's program is described in writing in an individualized education program, or "IEP," which is developed by an IEP team consisting of educators, parents, and other persons with special expertise or familiarity with the child. The parents of the

child have the right to be notified of and to participate in all meetings related to their child's IEP. The IEP is revised as often as circumstances warrant but reviewed at least annually. The law requires that the program and placement of the child, as described in

the IEP, be reasonably calculated to ensure meaningful educational progress to the student at all times. IEPs contain, at a minimum, a statement of present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, an enumeration of the annual goals established for the child, and a statement of the special education and related services

that the child needs to make meaningful educational progress. For children aged sixteen and older, the IEP must also include an appropriate transition plan to assist in the attainment of post-secondary objectives. Imhotep Institute Charter High School must

invite the child to the IEP team meeting at which the transition plan is developed.

For more information, please request information from our Special Education Policy and Procedure Manual or the Director or Student Support Services. Services for Students who are Mentally Gifted The definition of giftedness comes from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Special Education Rules and Regulations under Chapter 16 and states that a student who is mentally gifted demonstrates outstanding intellectual and creative ability,

the development of which requires specially designed programs or support services, or both, not ordinarily provided in the regular education program.

Imhotep Institute Charter High School provides for mentally gifted students using the conceptual framework of continuous progress and differentiation through the school’s mainstream curriculum. Additionally, enrichment, acceleration and specialized study

activities are provided to students as part of their gifted education program to address their unique needs. If you believe your school-age child may meet the criteria of mental giftedness and demonstrates a need for gifted education you may contact your child’s School Principal or the Director of Student Support Services in writing.

Services for Students in Nonpublic Schools

Public special education is accessible to resident students attending nonpublic schools by affording the opportunity for the nonpublic student to enroll, on a part-time, dual enrollment basis in a special education program operated within the district. Public special education services are accessible following a multi-disciplinary team evaluation, determination of eligibility, and development of an Individualized Education Program.

Parents of nonpublic school students may obtain further information by contacting the Philadelphia School District.

Services for Protected Handicapped Students

Students who are not eligible to receive special education programs and services may qualify as protected handicapped students and, therefore, be protected by other federal and state laws intended to prevent discrimination. The school district must ensure that

protected handicapped students have an equal opportunity to participate in the school program and extracurricular activities to the maximum extent appropriate for the individual student. In compliance with state and federal law, the 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. Services and protections for protected handicapped students are different from those applicable to all eligible students enrolled in special education programs. These services are outlined in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act 1973 and questions should be directed to the Director of Student Support Services.

Services for Students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and English Language Learners (ELL)

The education of students whose dominant language is not English is the responsibility of every school district/charter school in Pennsylvania. English language learners must be enrolled upon presentation of a local address and proof of immunization. The school

district / charter school must administer a home language survey (HLS) to all students as required by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The results of that survey must be retained in the student’s permanent folder. For those students whose primary home language is other than English (PHLOTE), the district must also determine the student’s English language proficiency. Then, if appropriate, ESL instruction will be provided for the limited English proficient student with local / state funds. Imhotep Institute Charter High School will provide screening services. If you wish to learn more, have questions, or believe your child may need to be identified, please contact the Director of Student Support Services.

Confidentiality of Student Records

Imhotep Charter High School protects the confidentiality of personally identifiable information regarding its exceptional and protected handicapped students in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and other applicable federal and state laws. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to

their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are "eligible students." These rights are:

The right to inspect and review their education records within 45 days of the day the school/school district receives a request for access.

The right to request an amendment to the student's education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading.

The right to provide written consent before the school discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent

The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the school/school district to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA are:

Family Policy Compliance Office

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20202-8520

Imhotep Institute Charter High School maintains its education records in compliance with the guidelines for the collection, maintenance and dissemination of pupil records. Imhotep Institute Charter High School may release information known as directory information without consent. If a parent/guardian or eligible student does not consent to

the automatic release of directory information, the parent/guardian or eligible student must, on an annual basis, sign a form opting-out of the automatic release of any directory information. Directory information includes the following: student’s name, address, telephone listing, electronic mail address, photograph, date and place of birth, primary field of study, dates of attendance, grade level, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, degree, honors, and awards received, the most recent educational agency or institution

attended, student ID number, user ID, or other unique personal identifier used to communicate in electronic systems that cannot be used to access educations without a PIN, password, etc. (a student’s SSN, in whole or in part, cannot be used for this purpose.)

Procedural Safeguards Notice - Special Education

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Federal law concerning the education of students with disabilities, requires the Local Education Agency (LEA) to provide parents of a child with a disability with a full explanation of the procedural safeguards available under the IDEA and the U.S. Department of Education regulations.

A PDF of the Procedural Safeguards Notice is available here: Procedural Safeguards Notice - Special Education

This notice is only a summary of the Special Education services, evaluation and screening activities, and rights and protections pertaining to children with disabilities, children thought to be disabled, and their parents. For more information contact the school listed below or visit our website www.imhotephighschool.com

Imhotep Institute Charter High School

6201 N 21st St. Philadelphia, PA 19138

Attn: Niesha Harrison,

Director of Student Supportive Services

(215) 438-4140, Ext. 113

Email;: [email protected]

Special Education Resources and Important Information