Special Education & Pupil Services Department

ANNUAL PUBLIC NOTICE TO PARENTS AND GUARDIANS OF CHILDREN WHO RESIDE IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF JENKINTOWN

In compliance with State and Federal Law, the School District of Jenkintown has given notice that it conducts ongoing identification activities as part of its school program to identify students who may need special education and related services. If your child is identified by the District as needing such services, you will be notified of the appropriate procedures.  Services and programs are available for children who are determined to need specially designed instruction due to the following conditions:

1. Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disability

2. Deafness/Blindness

3. Blindness/Visual Impairment

4. Deafness/Hearing Impairment

5. Emotional Disturbance

6. Intellectual Disability

7. Multiple Disabilities

8. Neurological Impairment

9. Orthopedic Disability

10. Speech or Language Impairment

11. Specific Learning Disability

12. Other Health Impairment

13. Traumatic Brain Injury

14. Mentally Gifted

If you believe that your school-age child may need special education and related services, screening and evaluation procedures designed to assess the needs of the child and his/her eligibility are available to you at no cost, upon written request. You may request screening and evaluation at any time. Requests are to be made in writing to the building principal or Director of Special Education and Student Services.

Communications with parents or with thought-to- be or exceptional students are in English and, if necessary, in the native language or other mode of communication used by the parents or student. In compliance with State and Federal Law, the School District of Jenkintown 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 access for a student to participate in and obtain the benefits of the school program. 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 for protected handicapped students are distinct from those applicable to all exceptional students enrolled (or seeking enrollment) in special education programs.

If a pre-school child is suspected of being eligible for early intervention, evaluation and services are provided through the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit. Information can be obtained by calling 1-610- 539-8550 and asking for the Early Intervention Department. For further information on the rights of parents and their children, provision of services, evaluation and screening (including purpose, time and location), you may contact Michele Glennon, Director of Special Education and Student Services at 215-884- 1801 ext. 116.Confidentiality: All information generated about your child is subject to the confidentiality provisions contained in Federal and State Law. The District has policies and procedures governing the collection, maintenance, destruction, and disclosure to third parties of this information. For information about these policies and procedures, as well as rights of confidentiality and access to educational records, you may contact, in writing, Michele Glennon, Director of Special Education and Student Services, West and Highland Avenue, Jenkintown, PA 19046.

Click the link below to open this annual notice.

Annual Public Notice of Special Education Services and Programs 2024-2025

School Board Policy: The School District of Jenkintown shall provide English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction for every LEP (Limited English Proficient) or ELL (English Language Learner) student (as defined in Basic Education Circular 22 Pa. Code 4.26) whose dominant language is not English residing in and attending school in the district for the purpose of facilitating the student’s achievement of English proficiency so as to meet state academic standards under 22 Pa. Code § 4.12 and to succeed in school.

The School District of Jenkintown is committed to providing education to English Language Learners (ELLs) that is parallel to grade level standards and benchmarks.  It is the District’s intent to provide this instruction in a one to one or small group setting for the period of time necessary for the student to become proficient in Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking.  Students are evaluated annually with standardized assessments as well as triennially with curriculum based assessments to determine his/her level and rate of language acquisition. The ESL teacher will consult with general education teachers to assist with transfer of skills and any necessary accommodations.

All newly registered students are required to complete a Home Language Survey.  The survey is reviewed by the school counselor and forwarded to the Director of Special Education/Student Services when the answer to any of the questions is other than “English” and the student is identified as a PHLOTE (Person Having a Language Other Than English).

All students determined to be Persons Having a Language Other Than English (PHLOTE) from the Home Language Survey will be administered the Woodcock-Munoz Language Survey by the ESL teacher to determine his/her level of language proficiency.  The District follows PDE recommended guidelines for amount of instruction: Non-English: (2-3 hours of daily instruction), Beginner: (2 hours of daily instruction), Intermediate and Advanced: (1 to 1 ½ hours of daily instruction).

Students are given curriculum-based assessments on grade level benchmarks to determine when they are ready to progress to the next level of proficiency.  When a student meets exit criteria they will be monitored for a period of one school year.

ELL will be monitored by the guidance counselor(s) as all new students are.  Students having difficulty transitioning into the school system will be seen on an individual basis.  The ESL Teacher will act as Case Manager for all ELLs and will coordinate activities between the classroom teacher(s) and home.  The ESL teacher in conjunction with the counselor will determine the need for interpreter services for parents to attend conferences as well as the translation of informational documents.

Students who fail to make progress with ESL instruction may be referred to the Instructional Support/Student Assistance Team.  If necessary a multi-disciplinary evaluation will be completed to determine eligibility for special education services.  Students will not be identified as special education as a result of lack of instruction with accommodations or limited English proficiency.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires Pennsylvania to ensure that the total number of students assessed in each subject using the PASA does not exceed one percent of the total number of all students in the state assessed on the statewide assessments. Each local educational agency (LEA) must complete and submit the PASA 1.0 Percent Participation Threshold Justification to BSE if it anticipates that more than 1.0 % of its students enrolled in grades 3-8 and 11 will be assessed using the PASA. A list of LEAs who anticipate exceeding the threshold will be made publicly available on the PDE website, in accordance with 34 CFR 200.6 (c)(3) regulations.  LEAs must also make the document publicly available upon request, removing any personally identifiable information. The (school district/ charter school)  anticipates exceeding the 1.0 percent threshold for PASA participation for the 2019-20 testing cycle.  The necessary justification information has been submitted to the Bureau of Special Education.  Questions on the (district/charter school) participation rates should be directed to (Special Education Administrator contact information)

The District operates gifted support classes to eligible students in grades K-12. A full-time Gifted Support teacher instructs small groups of students and mentors individual students as appropriate. Students are determined to be eligible if they meet the multiple criteria, which are compiled in a Gifted Written Report (GWR). A Gifted Individual Education Program (GIEP) is developed for eligible students. For more information, contact the Building Principal, Guidance Counselor or the Director of Special Education and Pupil Services.

If a child becomes ill or temporarily disabled and must remain out of school for more than four consecutive weeks, a request may be made for Homebound Instruction. The District will provide up to five hours a week of instruction. Requests should be made in writing to the building principal and should include the nature of the illness or disability and the probable duration. All requests are submitted to the Superintendent and Board of Education for approval

BUREAU OF SPECIAL EDUCATION’S CONSULTLINE, A PARENT HELPLINE

800-879-2301

ConsultLine personnel are available to parents and advocates of children with disabilities or child thought to be disabled to explain federal and state laws relating to special education; describe the options that are available to parents; inform the parents of procedural safeguards; identify other agencies and support services; and describe available remedies and how the parents can proceed.

Additional Resources appear at the end of this notice.

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 this notice containing a full explanation of the procedural safeguards available under the IDEA and the U.S. Department of Education regulations. A copy of this notice must be given to parents only once a school year, or:

(1) upon initial referral or parent request for evaluation; (2) upon filing by parents of their first State complaint under 34 CFR §§300.151 through 300.153 and upon filing by parents of their first due process complaint under §300.507 in a school year; (3) when a decision is made to take a disciplinary action that constitutes a change of placement; and (4) upon parent request. [34 CFR §300.504(a)]

This procedural safeguards notice must include a full explanation of all of the procedural safeguards available under §300.148 (unilateral placement at private school at public expense), §§300.151 through 300.153 (State complaint procedures), §300.300 (consent), §§300.502 through 300.503, §§300.505 through 300.518, and §§300.530 through 300.536 (procedural safeguards in Subpart E of the Part B regulations), and §§300.610 through 300.625 (confidentiality of information provisions in Subpart F). This model form provides a format that LEAs may choose to use to provide information about procedural safeguards to parents.

The District also provides services, related aids or reasonable accommodations for those individuals identified as protected handicapped students. Students are eligible for a Service Agreement if they have a physical or mental disability which substantially limits a major life activity such as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, learning, breathing, or working. Plans are developed to provide reasonable accommodations for the student to be successful in the general education program. For more information, contact the Building Principal, Guidance Counselor or the Coordinator of Special Education.

The School Psychologist provides direct and indirect services to students, parents, and teachers. The Psychologist works closely with SAP/CARES (Student Assistance Program) Team members in a collaborative effort to address student needs in the general education program. If the team or parent believes that a student may be in need of special education services, the Psychologist coordinates the Multi-Disciplinary Evaluation (MDE) process. This includes gathering information from parents and teachers, completing classroom observations, administering psychological and educational assessments and assisting in the development of an Individual Education Program (IEP). Facilitating counseling groups, assessing student eligibility for Gifted Services and coordinating the re-evaluation of special education programs are other Psychological activities.

The District provides Special Education instructional programs and support services to school-aged children who have been identified as eligible and in need of specially designed instruction by a Multi- Disciplinary Evaluation (MDE) and an Individual Education Program (IEP) Team. The instructional adaptations and individualized strategies are focused on maximizing the student’s academic achievement and social-emotional growth. The District operates Learning Support and Emotional Support programs K-12. Personnel include a special education coordinator, special education teachers, instructional aides, a Psychologist, a speech & language teacher and itinerant teachers for occupational therapy, physical therapy, vision and hearing. Identified students needing more intensive special education programs may attend classes operated by the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit or neighboring school districts. The District pays for the services and transportation. For more information, contact the Building Principal, Guidance Counselor or the Coordinator of Special Education.

All records in the School District and Intermediate Unit are maintained to ensure student confidentiality.