Documents

CHILD FIND

Child Find is a statewide effort by the State Department of Education and the Department of Rehabilitation Services to locate, identify, and evaluate children with disabilities from birth to age 21. Tallassee City Schools is presently conducting its annual Child Find Campaign. This campaign is an attempt to locate all children with disabilities within the Tallassee City Schools System from birth to age 21. If you are aware of a child in Tallassee with a disability or suspected disability, please contact Wendy Cowan with the Tallassee City Schools Board of Education at 334-283-5675 or wendy.cowan@tcshools.com concerning available services.

SPECIAL EDUCATION

The Special Services Department of the Tallassee City Schools System promotes opportunities for students served under the mandates of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act 2004 (IDEA/Special Education), Gifted, English as a Second Language (ESL)and/or English language learners (ELL), Migrant Education and Section 504 to fully participate in all appropriate educational activities in order to become productive citizens. The Special Services Department provides supportive leadership to parents, local school administrators and teachers in their efforts to ensure a free and appropriate public education to all students. You may contact Wendy Cowan, Special Education/504 Coordinator at 334-283-5675 if you have any questions/concerns about special student services.

The Special Services Department promotes opportunities for gifted, English language learners, migrant students, and disabled students to participate in educational activities designed to facilitate maximum student achievement. A full range of services, meeting the needs of all identified disabled students (Pre-K – 12), is offered in all schools in the Tallassee City School System. Disabilities recognized by the State of Alabama include Autism, Deaf-Blindness, Developmental Delay, Emotional Disability, Hearing Impairment, Intellectual Disability, Multiple Disabilities, Orthopedic Impairment, Other Health Impairment, Specific Learning Disabilities, Speech and Language Impairment, Traumatic Brain Injury and Visual Impairment.

DISCIPLINE POLICY FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS

Suspension and expulsion may be appropriate disciplinary action for student with disabilities, but additional procedural protections may apply. If suspension is considered beyond ten days in a school year, the IEP Team must determine whether such removal is appropriate for the student. The IEP Team will review the student’s behavior, the IEP and/or the Behavioral Intervention Plan to determine whether the student’s behavior was a manifestation of the student’s disability. Only where it is properly determined that a student’s behavior is not a manifestation of the student’s disability may the student be further removed from school or expelled. For removals that are beyond ten days cumulatively, in a school year, the IEP Team will also determine services that will be provided during the suspension or expulsion period. For students who present dangerous or certain criminal behaviors, emergency procedures will be followed.

SECTION 504 SERVICES

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability and requires that appropriate educational services (accommodations) are provided to qualified students. Tallassee City Schools provides accommodations in the educational setting that do not alter the content of the curriculum or level of expectation for a student with a disability but allows the student to access the general education curriculum in order to participate in public education programs and activities.You may contact the 504 Coordinator, Wendy Cowan, at 334-283-5675 if you have any questions/concerns about services or if you would like to make a referral.

NONDISCRIMINATION STATEMENT

Tallassee City Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Mrs. Tessie Williams, Section 504/Title IX Coordinator, at 308 King Street, 334-283-5675.