Newsletters 2019-20 Focus: Back to school | Page 6

Early childhood services
Children from birth though age five who
have special needs may be eligible for service
through the Anoka-Hennepin Early Childhood
Special Education (ECSE) programs. Students
may meet criteria in any of the 13 disability
areas. All school districts in the state have been
mandated to offer educational service to
preschool age children (birth to age five) who
demonstrate a significant delay in their devel-
opment. Children who appear to be having
difficulty in the areas of development such as
communication, cognition, fine or gross motor,
or social-emotional and adaptive skills may be
eligible for services. Eligibility is determined
through an evaluation process that determines
the range of the child’s skills. If the child is
found eligible, an individual education plan
would be developed with family input.
Services birth through age two: Children
below the age of three typically receive serv-
ices in their home or child care setting from a
teacher, speech clinician, or an occupational
or physical therapist. An Individual Family
Service Plan (IFSP) is developed from the eval-
uation results and input from the child’s family.
Frequency and the amount of service vary
based on the child’s needs and the family
schedule.
Services age three through age five: For
children over the age of three, a special educa-
tional classroom setting or community preschool
program is frequently recommended.
Parent support: Parent support groups and
parent training groups are offered to families
in the Anoka-Hennepin School District. Partici-
pation is voluntary. These groups offer parents
and families the opportunity to meet other
families with special needs children and
discuss issues that are important or unique
to their child’s development.
Contact information
Help Me Grow (birth to age five referral)
1-866-693-4769
Anoka-Hennepin ECSE office 763-433-4800
Preschool openings still
available for four-year-olds
Anoka-Hennepin schools and Community
Education offer preschool at schools and sites
across the district. Many classes are free, and
transportation and meals are provided for eligi-
ble families. Open houses are scheduled before
preschool begins. Visit ahschools.us/preschool
or call 763-506-1500 to learn more.
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Special education
Kindergarten through age 21 services
Special education services are provided for students from birth to age 21
who have been evaluated and determined as meeting one of the 13 disability
categories identified by federal law:
• Developmental delays
(birth to age seven).
• Autism spectrum disorders.
• Blind/visually impaired.
• Deaf-blind.
• Deaf/hard of hearing.
• Developmental cognitive
disabilities mild-moderate.
• Developmental cognitive
disabilities moderate-severe.
• Emotional or behavioral disorders.
• Other health disabilities.
• Physically impaired.
• Specific learning disabilities.
• Speech or language impairments.
• Traumatic brain injury.
The district offers a full continuum of services for students identified as
meeting special education criteria. An Individual Education Planning (IEP)
meeting is held following a special education evaluation.
District staff work with the student’s parents/family to determine
what goals and objectives are appropriate to meet the child’s
needs. The team determines what specialized instruction is
required and what related services might be appropriate.
Students who are identified as having special education
needs will receive instruction from a special education
teacher. Some students may require additional support in
the area of motor, speech/language, vision or hearing needs.
While the goal is to have students taught in their neighbor-
hood school, it is not always appropriate based on a student's
individual needs. Students with specific needs may be placed
in a program that best addresses her/his needs. Academic,
functional, and behavioral needs addressed in these programs
can vary, and can operate in conjunction with general education,
with increased mainstreaming as the goal. Some students
demonstrate needs that surpass what can be offered at a
traditional school/site, and may be serviced at River Trail
Learning Center, which is a special education site.
ahschools.us/specialeducation
School Handbook
The handbook covers the basics from
school to activities to homework. The
remainder, and majority of the handbook,
covers key policies approved by the
School Board showing how the district
handles matters of conduct and discipline
consistently and fairly.
Digital copies of the publication are cur-
rently available under “Policy Handbook”
on the district’s Document Center website at
ahschools.us/documentcenter.
Please contact your child’s school if you have any questions on the content in the handbook.