PUPIL PERSONNEL SERVICES
Pupil Personnel Services provides a range of services to accommodate the needs of students who have been identified as eligible for special education services through the Planning and Placement Team( PPT) process. Services may include: speech / language, counseling, occupational and physical therapy, and specialized instruction. Services are provided in the least restrictive environment.
Pupil Personnel Services is also responsible for school health policies, the school nursing program, custody and maintenance of confidentiality of school records, home instruction for those students who are physically unable to attend school, individual student evaluations for disabilities, and identification for giftedness.
CONFIDENTIALITY OF STUDENT RECORDS Confidentiality of student records is strictly maintained in accordance with FERPA( Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). Only authorized school personnel involved with the student’ s educational program may have access to a student’ s record. Parents or legal guardians have the right to review their child’ s record and may do so with a school official present following a written request for an appointment for this purpose. No information will be sent to another agency without the written consent of the parent or guardian or student of legal age. However, the school does have the right to send grades and attendance records upon the request of another school agency to whom a student has already transferred without prior authorization to release information.
Once a student attains the legal age of eighteen, all rights to review or release his / her school records are assumed by the student.
INDIVIDUAL STUDENT EVALUATION Pupil Personnel Services is involved in a continuous“ Child Find” effort to identify those children, from birth to age 21, who may be at risk for failure in regular education.
An individual diagnostic evaluation may be given to any child who has been referred to a Planning and Placement Team( PPT) for a possible need of special education services.
A child may be referred to the Student Assistance Team( SAT) by parent / guardian, staff, or other concerned individual at any time. This process is the responsibility of regular education. It is the vehicle for reviewing a student’ s needs, planning strategies and modifications, and reviewing progress, as well as providing documentation of all efforts made to assist the student. This is a process, which is designed to support regular education students and must be carefully distinguished from the Planning and Placement( PPT) process.
The PPT process is specifically designed for potential and identified special education students. A PPT is composed of the child’ s parent( s), a school administrator, classroom teacher, special education teacher, and a pupil services representative( i. e., speech / language pathologist, counselor or school psychologist).
Referrals of preschool age children for evaluation are generally made by physicians, hospitals, the Visiting Nurses Association, Head Start, day care centers, private nursery schools, and other child-oriented state or private agencies, as well as by parents. These referrals are reviewed at a PPT to determine what evaluations may be required. Upon completion of testing, the team reconvenes as a PPT to determine eligibility for special education programming and / or services.
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