A full range of special education services is provided by the Southern York County School District.  Programs provided directly by the District include those for students who have a specific learning disability, emotional disturbance, mental retardation, speech or language impairment, a hearing impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment, early childhood developmental problems, or other health impairment.

If you require general or specific information about special education services, please contact the Special Education Supervisor at Extension 7229.

Identification:
If teachers or staff suspect that a student might be in need of specially designed instruction, a school team reviews records and diagnostic data.  At the elementary level, the school team is called an Instructional Support Team.  At the middle school and high school, the team is called a Student Study Team.  Conclusions are drawn by the school team as to whether or not adaptations or modifications can be made to the student’s educational program that will address the needs of the student, or if a referral for a multidisciplinary evaluation and further assessment is recommended.

If a parent wishes to request a multidisciplinary evaluation, the school district asks the parent to provide to the child’s building Principal written permission for the evaluation to begin.  Any parent who requests a multidisciplinary evaluation of a resident child not attending Southern schools should send the written request to the Supervisor of Special Education.

Confidentiality:
Southern York County School District protects the confidentiality of personally identifiable information regarding screening, referral, evaluation, storage, disclosure, and destruction of information for all students screened for or enrolled as an exceptional student in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) and other applicable federal and state laws.  Southern York Board of Education Policies #216 and 216.1 provide further information regarding confidentiality of student records.

Parent Rights:
The rights of parents are protected by procedural safeguards.  These safeguards include parental consent for evaluations, re-evaluations, release of information, and placement of a child with a disability in a special education placement.  Safeguards also include notification to parents, and the right to pre-conference meetings, mediation, or impartial due process hearings.

A full text of the preceding notice, along with "Annual Notice to Parents of Protected Handicapped Students," "Parent Right to Know," and "Parents' Access Rights to Educational Records" follow.