|
Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions
of students and parents.
- Is what I discuss with my school psychologist confidential?
- Are psychological evaluations confidential?
- Will future colleges/employers know my child was evaluated?
- What is Special Education?
- What is a Section 504 Plan?
- What happens during an evaluation?
- Is the student interview portion of an evaluation confidential?
- How do I get help for my child/student?
- Does the school psychologist deal with discipline?
- What is a Functional Behavior Assessment?
- How do I contact the school psychologist and/or guidance counselors?
Is what I discuss with my school psychologist confidential? Absolutely! Whatever is shared with Mrs. Kretz-Harvey is between
the student and school psychologist. This information is not, and
cannot be, shared with other students, parents and/or teachers,
unless the student says that he/she would like me to do so. The
same rules apply to conversations with parents
and teachers. There are only three occasions where I will be
obligated, and bound by state law and professional ethics, to
break confidentiality and inform someone else of what we had
discussed. These three instance where I have a duty to inform are
related to safety issues.
The three types of cases where I must break confidentiality are:
1. The individual will harm themself.
2. The individual will harm someone else (he/she shared
direct intent).
3. The individual shared that someone is harming them
(physical or sexual).
Are psychological evaluations confidential? All evaluations conducted by Mrs. Kretz-Harvey are kept
confidential. Only individuals who have a legitimate right and
need to know will be allowed supervised access to this
information. All psychological files are stored in
locked filing cabinets in Mrs. Kretz-Harvey's office.
If the student is being evaluated for special education services,
the Director of Special Education also keeps a copy of the report in
secure filing cabinets in the Special Education Office. Teachers who
work with this student will be provided supervised access to the
file if there is a legitimate need for further information. This
information, however, is more typically conveyed by the assigned
special education teacher or school psychologist.
Will future colleges/employers know my child was evaluated? Colleges and/or employers do not have a right to access any
information pertaining to school counseling services, meetings
with the school psychologist, or psycho-educational evaluations.
This information is NEVER released by Mrs. Kretz-Harvey without a
SIGNED consent from the student (if
18+) or parent (for students under 18). Verbal communication
regarding such information is not provided either without the
signed consent stating what is to be shared.
There are times that you may wish to request communication. Such
communication may be beneficial for students who have prior
special education classifications or a Section 504 Plan and who
are pursuing post-secondary schooling. This communication may
help colleges provide the necessary assistance and accommodations
for students with disabilities. Communication with the school
psychologist and outside agencies/evaluators may also be desired
if the student is seeking disability assistance or is undergoing
additional/further outside evaluation.
What is Special Education? Special Education is the term used for a variety of services that
are offered for students with disabilities that substantially
impact their educational functioning. In order to qualify for
special education services, a student must have a documented
disability, and such documentation of evaluations and diagnoses
must be provided to the school psychologist and the Committee on
Special Education. Evaluations can also be conducted here
at school by the school psychologist, speech/lanugage therapists,
and/or occupational therapist, depending on the area of concern.
Special Education services are provided under 13 specific
categories, which have specific criteria for qualification:
autism, deafness, deaf-blindness, emotional disturbance, hearing
impairment, learning disability, intellectual disability,
multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health-
impairment, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury,
visual impairment including blindness. The documented disability
MUST significantly impact educational performance in order to
qualify for services.
Some accommodations that are provided through Speical Education
services include, but are not limited to, speech-language
therapy, occupational therapy, counseling, resource room
assistance, and testing accommodations. Some of these services
may also be provided to students who do not qualify for Special Education services.
If you are concerned that your child may have a disability that
significantly impacts educational performance, the first step
should be to contact the school psychologist and/or the high
school Student Assistance Team (SAT)coordinator, Mr. Gary
Michalak. Students typically are initially referred to the SAT
team to review the information and then may be referred
to the psychologist, occupational therapist, and/or speech-
language therapist for further evaluations and/or review of
information provided. If there is concern that the student may demonstrate a
disability, the student will then be referred to the Committee on
Special Education (CSE)for further review and eligibility
determination.
What is a Section 504 Plan? A Section 504 Plan is NOT related to Special Education. This plan
is related to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,
which is a civil rights act for persons with disabilities. This
act was designed to prevent discrimination against individuals
with disabilities. In order to qualify for a Section 504 Plan, a
person must demonstrate that they have a disability that impacts
a major life activity (e.g., walking, seeing, hearing, speaking,
breathing, caring for oneself, performing manual tasks,
working, learning). The major life activity that is typically
impacted within the school setting, and the basis for a plan, is
learning.
Within the school setting, Section 504 Plans are general
education plans that contain accommodations/modifications for
students with qualifying disabilities, who need these
accommodations/modifications in order to "level the playing
field" within the educational setting. Some typical
accommodations/modifications include, but are not limited to,
preferential seating, homework checking plans, increased
home/school communication, separate location/area of minimal
distraction for test taking, extended time for exams or
particular types of projects.
If you think your child may have a disability, or does have a
disability, that is impacting their educational performance
please feel free to call and we can discuss the next steps you
may want to consider. Disabilities under Section 504 criteria are
much broader than disabilies defined under Special Education
criteria. Some of the disabilities that may qualify for
a plan include, but are not limited to, Attention
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Anxiety Disorders, Central
Auditory Processing Disorders, and severe vision
deficits. Please note that diagnosis of a disability does not
result in automatic qualification for a Section 504 Plan. A
student must also demonstrate that their disability impacts the
majory life activity of learning.
If you have any further questions about these plans, please feel
free to contact Hillary Kretz-Harvey.
What happens during an evaluation? The actual evaluation process will vary depending on the reason
for referral. Some common procedures that the school psychologist
will use may include, cognitive evaluation, academic achievement
evaluation, social-emotional and/or behavioral evaluation,
student observation in the classroom, student interviews,
educational and psycho-educational record reviews, teacher
interviews and/or progress reports, parent interviews, and
various rating scales for students, parents, and teachers.
When a student is referred for an evaluation, the process can
take up to 60 calendar days. When the evaluation
is complete, you will receive a written report in the mail. The
school psychologist often meets with parents in person, or
conferences with parents over the phone, in order to review
the results of the evaluation and the contents of the report. If
you have any questions or concerns about evaluations or reports,
please be sure to call. Mrs. Kretz-Harvey is always willing to
meet with parents to address questions and/or concerns. These
meetings can be arranged for times during the school day, or
before or after school if that works better with your
schedule.
Is the student interview portion of an evaluation confidential? Typically, evaluations will include a student interview with the
school psychologist. This interview is vital to many evaluations,
because it provides information about the student's perceptions
of their learning styles, educational needs, classroom
performance, reasons for difficulties, cognitive and academic
functioning, social-emotional and behavioral functioning, and
future goals. Much of this interview is often included in
the evaluation report. The student interview, as well as all
evaluation information, is not accessible to other individuals
and is secured in the psychologist's office. All information
gathered through the evaluation process may be, and often is,
included in the final evaluation report. On occasion, there are
some parts of the student interview that will be excluded from
the evaluation report if it is not considered to be pertinent to
the area of concern. If you have questions or concerns about
the student interview, and information that will be shared in a
report, please contact Mrs. Kretz-Harvey.
How do I get help for my child/student? If your child/student is struggling socially, emotionally, or
academically, the first line of action should be through the
Student Assistance Team (SAT). This is a team of individuals,
which includes, guidance counselors, the school psychologist,
principal and/or assistant principal, and school nurse. When a
student is referred to the SAT, information is gathered from
the student's teachers, parent, and psychologist if the student
has had prior evaluations. The SAT reviews all information and
then determines the best course of action for interventions
and/or further information gathering (which may include
evaluations). The recommendations of the SAT team will be mailed
to you following the meeting. If you have questions about the SAT
or concerns that you would like to refer to the SAT, please
contact Mr. Michalak, the high school SAT coordinator, or myself
and we would be happy to discuss them with you.
Does the school psychologist deal with discipline? Not in terms of the actual discipline assigned. I do, however,
consult with administrators and teachers regarding certain
discipline cases, when needed. This consultation typically occurs
when a student begins to demonstrate a pattern of behavior
problems that become persistent. When this occurs, I will often
be asked to conduct a Functional Behavior Assessment and to
assist in developing a Behavior Intervention Plan in order to
reduce the behaviors that are problematic.
What is a Functional Behavior Assessment? A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is a type of evaluation
that provides valuable information regarding maladaptive
student behavior. The purpose of the FBA is to attempt to
identify the purpose of a student's maladaptive behavior, the
consequences of the behavior, and appropriate intervention
strategies to reduce or eliminate the maladaptive behavior and to increase
appropriate behavior. A student may be referred for an FBA when
they have had a substantial number of discipline referrals, they
are demonstrating a consistent pattern of maladaptive behavior,
and/or they are demonstrating maladaptive behaviors that are
substantially impacting their educational functioning.
The actual evaluation process for an FBA may include any or all
of the following: teacher, student, and parent interviews
regarding the behaviors of concern, observation of the student,
rating scales to be completed by the parent, teacher, and/or
student, academic screening, review of discipline
reports, and review of educational and psycho-educational records.
Functional behavior assessments at the high school level are
conducted by the school psychologist. When the assessment is
complete, an appropriate Behavior Intervention Plan is typically
drawn up and implemented in order to help us improve the student's
behavior.
How do I contact the school psychologist and/or guidance counselors? Mrs. Kretz-Harvey can be contacted at 679-1581, extension 2765 or
via e-mail at hkretz-harvey@fcsd.wnyric.org.
Mr. Hirschbeck can be contacted at 679-1581, extension 2706 or
via e-mail at mhirschbeck@fcsd.wnyric.org.
Mr. Michalak can be reached at 679-1581, extension 2720 or via e-
mail at gmichalak@fcsd.wnyric.org.
| |
