Cougar
Connection
Carlynton School District
Annual Public Notice of
Child Find Activities
PROMOTING COMMUNITY, EXCELLENCE, AND CHARACTER
continued
awareness campaign is observed
annually in the United States since
1985. As drug and alcohol abuse
continues to climb in the U.S., affecting
every age and demographic, the need
for awareness is greater than ever.
s HONORING OUR VETERANS
In association with Honor Flight
Pittsburgh, students in Tracy Post’s
American Government classes and
Jamie Sonnie’s Reading 8 course wrote
over 200 letters to American war
veterans. Messages of encouragement
and gratitude were mailed and will be
distributed to area veterans who will
travel to Washington, D. C. in October.
Honor Flight is a non-profit
organization created solely to honor
America’s veterans by transporting
them to the nation’s capital to visit and
reflect at the many war memorials in
the city, including the Vietnam, World
War II, and Korean memorials, Arlington
Cemetery and the Changing of the
Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
The purpose of the letter-writing
project came at a time when American
Government students were learning
about World War II and the men and
women who served during that time.
Students in reading classes joined
the effort because of related reading
Students wrote and mailed 210 letters to
area men and women who served to protect
our freedom.
38
CARLYNTON
While in an American Government class,
junior Rose Talmonti wrote a letter to an
American hero, a veteran who served in
World War II.
material. Although individuals did not
know the men and women to whom
they were writing, they said the project
gave them a chance to express goodwill
and appreciation for the freedom they
enjoy today because of the hardship
and service of so many.
s DISTRICT TO BEGIN PLANNING
FOR 50TH ANNIVERSARY
Did you know the Carlynton School
District will be celebrating its 50th
anniversary during the 2020-2021
school year? That’s right! Planning
is in its very early stages, but we are
seeking volunteers, alumni, party
planners and idea generators to help
us plan and celebrate this milestone. If
interested in becoming involved, please
email Michale Herrmann at michale.
herrmann@carlynton.k12.pa.us or call
412.429.2500, ext. 1113. Please provide
your name, address, phone number,
email address, and let us how you are
associated with the school district. We
look forward to hearing from you!
The Carlynton School District uses the following
procedures for screening, identifying, and evaluating specified
needs of school-aged students requiring special programs or
services. These procedures are described in this notice as
required by law.
The district meets the health screening requirements as
described in Section 1402 of the School Code. The district
routinely conducts screenings of a child’s hearing acuity in
following grades: Kindergarten, 1, 2, 3, 7, and 11, and other
grades according to need. Visual acuity is screened in every
grade. Height and weight data are collected yearly at every
grade level and Body Mass (BMI) is calculated. Visual acuity,
hearing acuity, height and weight screenings are conducted
throughout the school year at the child’s home school. School
nurses work with the private schools located within the
district’s boundaries to provide required screenings. Dental
exams are conducted in the spring of each school year in
Kindergarten, grades 3 and 7 at the respective schools.
Physical exams are conducted in the spring of each year.
Physicals are conducted in Kindergarten, grades 6 and 11, as
well as scoliosis screenings in grades 6 and 7. Gross motor
and fine motor skills, academic skills, and social-emotional
skills are assessed by classroom teachers on an on-going
basis. Other screening activities include but are not limited to
the review of cumulative group-based achievement and ability
data, health and attendance records, grades, and information
shared by the parents. Specified needs from all of these
screening sources are noted within the child’s official file.
School records are always open and available to parents,
and only to school officials who have a legitimate “need
to know” information about the student. Information from
the records is released to other persons or agencies only
with appropriate authorization that involves written signed
permission by parents.
Screening information will be used by the Student
Assistance Team within the student’s school to meet his
or her specific needs, or to document the need for further
evaluation. Student Assistance Team services are provided
to students in grades K-12. The pre-referral process identifies
those students at-risk for academic or behavioral needs and
includes parental involvement in making determinations as
to whether a student may benefit from intervention services.
Individual student plans are developed and monitoring of
specific goals with data to determine student progress and
efficacy of interventions are put into place. If a student is not
making sufficient progress, a referral for evaluation may be
issued by the school district or a parent may request a multi-
disciplinary evaluation at any time.
The Multidisciplinary Team consists of parents, teachers,
a certified school psychologist, other related service
personnel, and person familiar with the student’s educational
experience and cultural background. The evaluations
conducted by the Team must be sufficient in scope and
depth to provide information about the student’s academic
functioning, adaptive and social behavior, learning problems,
strengths, information obtained by the Student Assistance
Team, and information from the parents. After all evaluations
are completed, an Evaluation Report (ER) will be compiled
and include specific recommendations for the types of
interventions necessary to meet the student’s specific needs.
This evaluation will be completed and a report sent to the
parents within 60 calendar days. Parents are then invited to
participate in a meeting where the result of the evaluation will
be discussed.
If the student meets the criteria for the presence of a
disability and need for specially designed instruction, an
Individualized Education Program (IEP) will then be developed
for specially designed instruction for the student within 30
calendar days. The IEP team must consist of: the student’s
parent(s), special education teacher, regular education
teacher(s), and local education agency representative (LEA).
The building principal, Director of Special Education/Pupil
Services will serve as the chair/LEA. School psychologists and
other specialists, as needed, will attend when appropriate.
Prior to the initiation of services, parents will be presented
with a Notice of Recommended Education Placement,
which explains the services and educational placement
recommendations. Parental consent must be obtained before
providing initial special education and related services. The
Procedural Safeguard Notice describes the parents’ rights
and options if they disagree with the individualized program
presented.
When screening results suggest a student may be eligible
for Gifted Education, the school district seeks parental
consent to conduct a multidisciplinary evaluation. Additionally,
a parent may request a multi-disciplinary evaluation at
any time. The initial evaluation is summarized in the Gifted
Written Report (GWR) and used by the Gifted Individualized
Education Program (GIEP) team to develop the GIEP. After
the initial evaluation, students identified as mentally gifted
are reevaluated before a change in educational placement is