Policies & Procedures

Special education services in Tri-County districts are implemented in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004) and associated regulations, state statute and regulations, and local Policies and Procedures. Tri-County’s Policies and Procedures Manual was revised in 2008.

About the Individualized Educational Plans

In accordance with IDEA 2004, Tri-County districts use eligibility criteria to identify the existence of disabilities that significantly and negatively impact the school performance of students, creating the need for special education and related services. Teams of educators and parents determine the existence of disabilities, the adverse effect of those disabilities on the school performance of individual children, and the set of special education and related services that are needed to for those children to achieve in school. Team decisions are documented on a form called and Individualized Educational Plan, or IEP. IEPs are written for individual children with disabilities on at least an annual basis. Parents having questions about how the IEP process works in their local district are encouraged to ask building principals. Tri-County personnel and the Logan County Parent Mentor are also available to respond to individual questions and to collaborate with building principals and special educators who implement the special education services in local schools.

Procedures for Determining the Need for a Referral for Special Education Evaluation

Child Find procedures are used by Tri-County schools to determine whether or not a student requires a referral for a case study evaluation.  These procedures include problem-solving support through A-Teams (student assistance teams), consultations, screening, intervention and progress monitoring, and evaluation planning meetings.  Please refer to the Tri-County Policies and Procedures Manual or consult with district/Tri-County employees for details. Eligibility criteria and evaluation planning tools are available to the public in order to help educators and parents write meaningful evaluation questions and select evaluation methods that are most appropriate for individual students.