Nyack SEPTA

March 2004

Nyack SEPTA
Special Education PTA

For Parents/Guardians

Annual Reviews are coming!!!

Please consider the following:

Your child is never too young to be evaluated!
If your school-age child is having difficulties in school, first talk to his or her teacher. Many schools offer supports for students within regular education such as psychological services, speech and language improvement services, curriculum and instructional modifications and Academic Intervention Services. If you, the teacher and principal have not been able to help your child, your child may have a disability which affects his or her learning. To find out, you can make a referral to the Committee on Special Education (CSE).

A referral is a written statement asking that the school district evaluate your child to determine if he or she needs special education services. This written statement should be addressed to the chairperson of your school district’s Committee or your school principal.

As a parent, you have input as to the tests and assessments to be conducted on your child. Before an evaluation is conducted, you will be asked for your suggestions about evaluating your child and be given information about the kinds of tests that will be used. If you have questions about the purpose or type of evaluation proposed, you should discuss them with the chairperson of the Committee.

If your child is being evaluated for the first time to decide whether he or she has a disability, the Board of Education must arrange for appropriate special education programs and services within 60 school days of receiving your consent to evaluate your child. If the recommendation is for placement in an approved in-State or out-of-State private school, then the Board of Education will arrange for such programs and services within 30 school days of the Board receipt of the recommendation from the Committee.

All information listed above has been copied and pasted directly from the NYS Special Education Parents' Rights Handbook. The link to the website is listed on the left hand panel of this page. This handbook is also printed in Spanish and there is a link to the downloadable PDF Spanish version as well.

Dedicated to helping children learn and feel good about themselves.