Annual Public Notice of Special Education Services and Programs and Rights for Students with Disabilities And Notification of Rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
All children with disabilities residing in the Commonwealth, regardless of the severity of their disabilities, and who are in need of special education and related services, are to be located, identified and evaluated. This responsibility is required by a federal law called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, 20 U.S.C. 1200 et. seq. (“IDEA 2004”).
Chapter 711 of Title 22 of the Pennsylvania Code requires the publication of a notice to parents regarding public awareness activities sufficient to inform parents of children applying to or enrolled in the charter school of available special education services and programs and how to request those services and programs and of systematic screening activities that lead to the identification, location and evaluation of children with disabilities enrolled in the charter school.
In addition, the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), which protects confidentiality, requires educational agencies to notify parents annually of their confidentiality rights.
The Charter School fulfills its duties with this annual notice and has incorporated several sections of the PaTTAN Procedural Safeguards Notice into the Board-approved:
Child Find Notice,
Independent Education Evaluation,
and The Positive Support Behavior policy.
The Charter School also directs parents to the Procedural Safeguards Notice from PaTTAN. Parents may contact the CAO/Principal, Bucks County Montessori Charter School, (215) 428-6700, 219 Tyburn Road, Fairless Hills, Pa 129030, at any time with any other questions about special education, services, screenings, policies or procedures.
The purpose of this annual notice is to comply with the school’s obligations under Chapter 711 of Title 22 of the Pennsylvania Code and to describe: (1) the types of disabilities that might qualify the child for special education, (2) the special education programs and related services that are available, (3) the process by which the Charter School screens and evaluates such students to determine eligibility, (4) the special rights that pertain to such children and their parents or legal guardians and (5) the confidentiality rights that pertain to student information.