• IGBA: Programs for Students with Disabilities

    Policy

    The District identifies, evaluates, and places students with disabilities in appropriate educational programs. This includes children attending a District school, children for whom the District is the district of residence and are being held or have been court-ordered to juvenile detention centers, and children committed to community correctional facilities. The District offers a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to each student with a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act.  The District develops an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for each identified student. The IEP aligns with the student’s individual needs and provides for reevaluation of the student’s needs, progress, and effectiveness of the offered program.  The District provides a continuum of services and programs, ensuring that schools educate students with disabilities with their nondisabled peers to the greatest extent possible.

    Additionally, the District locates, identifies, and evaluates all parentally-placed private school children with disabilities who reside in another district within Ohio or a state other than Ohio and attend a private school within the District. 

    The Chief Executive Officer supervises all special education programs and assigns a member of the staff to coordinate efforts. Coordination of special education programs involves identifying students with disabilities; establishing evaluation procedures; and overseeing the design of Individualized Education Programs (IEP), plans, and placement.

    The Board directs the administration to comply with and follow the Ohio Department of Education, Office of Exceptional Children’s Model Special Education Policies and Procedures.  All District procedures follow state and federal law. The District adheres to all due process requirements, procedural safeguards, and confidential treatment of information as required by state and federal law.

    Although the District requires all students with disabilities to participate in testing and assessment, the District considers each student with a disability individually relative to their participation in educational and testing programs.  A student’s IEP team determines a student’s participation in standardized testing or alternative assessment annually, in accordance with state and federal regulations. Students must make yearly gains toward closing the achievement gap as defined by the Ohio Department of Education performance targets.

    History

    • Adopted: February 1, 2001
    • Amended: March 29, 2022

    Legal References