Annual Public Notice
Annual Public Notice of Special Education Services
(This notice was published in The Patriot-News on September 1, 2022.)
Annual Public Notice of Special Education Services and Programs, Services for Gifted Students, and Services for Protected Handicapped Students
Notice to Parents
According to state and federal special education regulations, annual public notice to parents of children who reside within a school district is required regarding child find responsibilities. School districts (SDs), intermediate units (IUs) and charter schools (CSs) are required to conduct child find activities for children who may be eligible for services via Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. For additional information related to Section 504/Chapter 15 services, parents may refer to Section 504, Chapter 15, and the Basic Education Circular entitled Implementation of Chapter 15. Also, school districts are required to conduct child find activities for children who may be eligible for gifted services via 22 Pa Code Chapter 16. For additional information regarding gifted services, parents may refer to 22 PA Code Chapter 16. If a student is both gifted and eligible for Special Education, the procedures in IDEA and Chapter 14 shall take precedence.
This notice shall inform parents throughout the school district, intermediate unit, and charter school of the child identification activities and of the procedures followed to ensure confidentiality of information pertaining to students with disabilities or eligible young children. In addition to this public notice, each school district, intermediate unit, and charter school shall publish written information in the handbook and on the web site. Children age three through twenty-one can be eligible for special education programs and services. If parents believe that their child may be eligible for special education, the parent should contact the staff member identified for their school district of residence, listed at the end of this public notice.
Children age three through the age of admission to first grade are also eligible if they have developmental delays and, as a result, need Special Education and related services. Developmental delay is defined as a child who is less than the age of beginners and at least 3 years of age and is considered to have a developmental delay when one of the following exists: (i) The child’s score, on a developmental assessment device, on an assessment instrument which yields a score in months, indicates that the child is delayed by 25% of the child’s chronological age in one or more developmental areas. (ii) The child is delayed in one or more of the developmental areas, as documented by test performance of 1.5 standard deviations below the mean on standardized tests. Developmental areas include cognitive, communicative, physical, social/emotional and self-help. For additional information you may contact Terry Telep, Supervisor of Preschool/Early Intervention, Capital Area Intermediate Unit #15, at ttelep@caiu.org, or at 717-732-8400. ext/ 8539, or Jessica White, Supervisor of Preschool/Early Intervention, Capital Area Intermediate Unit #15, at jwhite@caiu.org, or at 717-732-8400, ext. 8781.
Evaluation Process
Each school district, intermediate unit, and charter school has a procedure in place by which parents can request an evaluation. For information about procedures applicable to your child, contact the school that your child attends. Telephone numbers and addresses can be found at the end of this notice. Parents of preschool age children, age three through five, may request an evaluation in writing by addressing a letter to Terry Telep or Jessica White, Supervisors of Preschool/Early Intervention, Capital Area Intermediate Unit #15.
Consent
School entities cannot proceed with an evaluation, or with the initial provision of special education and related services, without the written consent of the parents. For additional information related to consent, please refer to the Procedural Safeguards Notice which can be found at the PaTTAN website, www.Pattan.net. Once written parental consent is obtained, the district will proceed with the evaluation process. If the parent disagrees with the evaluation results, the parent can request an independent education evaluation at public expense.
Program Development
Once the evaluation process is completed, a team of qualified professionals and parents determine whether the child is eligible. If the child is eligible, the Individualized Education Program team meets, develops the program, and determines the educational placement. Once the IEP team develops the program and determines the educational placement, school district staff, intermediate unit staff, and/or charter school staff will issue a Notice of Recommended Educational Placement/Prior Written Notice (NOREP/PWN). Your written consent is required before initial services can be provided. The parent has the right to revoke consent after initial placement.
Confidentiality of Information:
The school districts, intermediate units and charter schools maintain records concerning all children enrolled in the school, including students with disabilities. All records are maintained in the strictest confidentiality. Your consent, or consent of an eligible child who has reached the age of majority under state law, must be obtained before personally identifiable information is released, except as permitted under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The age of majority in Pennsylvania is age 21. Each participating agency must protect the confidentiality of personally identifiable information at collection, storage, disclosure, and destruction stages. One official at each participating agency must assume responsibility for ensuring the confidentiality of any personally identifiable information. Each participating agency must maintain, for public inspection, a current listing of the names and positions of those employees within the agency who have access to personally identifiable information.
In accordance with 34 CFR § 300.624, please be advised of the following retention/destruction schedule for the Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment (PASA), Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), and Keystone Exam related materials:
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PSSA, Keystone Exam, and PASA test booklets will be destroyed one year after student reports are delivered for the administration associated with the test booklets.
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PSSA and Keystone Exam answer booklets and PASA media recordings will be destroyed three years after completion of the assessment.
For additional information related to student records, parents can refer to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
This notice is only a summary of the Special Education services, evaluation and screening activities, and rights and protections pertaining to children with disabilities, children thought to be disabled, and their parents. For more information or to request evaluation or screening of a public or private school child, contact the responsible school entity listed below. For preschool age children, information may be obtained and screenings and evaluations may be requested by contacting the Intermediate Unit. The addresses of these schools are as follows:
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INTERMEDIATE UNIT
Capital Area Intermediate Unit #15
Andrew E. McCrea
55 Miller Street
Enola, PA 17025-1640
717-732-8400
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Loysville Youth Development Center
Cynthia Lupold
24 Opportunity Drive
Loysville, PA 17047
717-789-5529
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SCHOOL DISTRICT OFFICES |
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Big Spring School District
William Gillet
45 Mt. Rock Road
Newville, PA 17241
717-776-2422
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Camp Hill School District
Autumn Reely
2627 Chestnut Street
Camp Hill, PA 17011
717-901-2400 x5935
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Carlisle Area School District
Jill Condo
623 W. Penn Street
Carlisle, PA 17013
717-240-6800 x17815
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Central Dauphin School District
Anne Zelonis
600 Rutherford Road
Harrisburg, PA 17109
717-545-4703 x70284
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Cumberland Valley School District
Gaynelle Angelo
6746 Carlisle Pike
Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
717-506-3336
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Derry Township School District
Kirsten Scheurich
30 E. Granada Avenue
PO Box 898
Hershey, PA 17033
717-534-2501 opt. 9
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East Pennsboro Area School District
Janice Miller-Redd
890 Panther Parkway
Enola, PA 17025
717-732-3601
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Greenwood School District
Barbara Sheaffer
405 E. Sunbury Street
Millerstown, PA 17062
717-589-3117
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Halifax Area School District
Lisa M. Slover
3940 Peters Mountain Road
Halifax, PA 17032
717-896-3416 x111
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Harrisburg School District
Krystal Palmer
2900 North 6th Street
Harrisburg, PA 17110
717-703-1290
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Lower Dauphin School District
Dan Berra
291 E. Main Street
Hummelstown, PA 17036-1799
717-566-5318
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Mechanicsburg Area School District
Paul Bigham
600 Norway St., 2nd Floor
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
717-691-4522
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Middletown Area School District
Nicole Taylor
55 W. Water Street
Middletown, PA 17057
717-948-3300 x1007
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Millersburg Area School District
Jennifer Wicht
799 Center Street
Millersburg, PA 17061-1420
717-692-2108 x1116
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Newport School District
Mary Kay Hunter
420 Fickes Lane, PO Box 9
Newport, PA 17074
717-567-2529
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Northern York County School District
David Borrell
650 S. Baltimore Street
Dillsburg, PA 17019-1035
717-432-8691 x1112
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Shippensburg Area School District
Lauren Zima-Engro
317 N. Morris Street
Shippensburg, PA 17257
717-530-2700 x1041
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South Middleton School District
Dr. Alex Smith/Jennifer Chamberlin
4 Academy Street, Suite 100
Boiling Springs, PA 17007
717-258-6484
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Steelton-Highspire School District
Keri Poston
250 Reynders Ave.
Steelton, PA 17113-7645
717-704-3800 x3349
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Susquehanna Township School District
Carrie Martin or Bethany Peters
2579 Interstate Dr.
Harrisburg, PA 17110
717-657-5100 x13005
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Susquenita School District
Dr, Tyler Herman
1725 Schoolhouse Road
Duncannon, PA 17020
717-957-6000
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Upper Dauphin Area School District
Heather Haupt
5668 State Route 209
Lykens, PA 17048
717-362-6573
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West Perry School District
Paula Jones
2606 Shermans Valley Road
Elliottsburg, PA 17024-9706
717-789-3934 x5505
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West Shore School District
Jennifer Homoki
507 Fishing Creek Road
PO Box 803
Lewisberry, PA 17070
717-938-9577
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COMPREHENSIVE TECHNICAL SCHOOL |
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Dauphin County Technical School
Dr. Jan L. Zeager
6001 Locust Lane
Harrisburg, PA 17109-5631
717-652-3170 x7125
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CHARTER SCHOOLS |
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Capital Area School for the Arts Charter School
Timothy Wendling
150 Strawberry Square
Harrisburg, PA 17101
717-732-8450
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Commonwealth Charter Academy |
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Infinity Charter School
Suzanne Gausman
5405 Locust Lane
Harrisburg, PA 17109
717-238-1880
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Pennsylvania STEAM Academy
Jennifer Morrison |
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Premier Arts and Science Charter School
Danielle Sims
500 N 17th Street
Harrisburg, PA 17103-1549
717-234-3200
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Reach Cyber Charter School
Gregory C. McCurdy
750 E Park Dr, Suite 204
Harrisburg, PA 17111
717-704-8437
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Sylvan Heights Science Charter School
Susan Roth
915 S. 13th Street |
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The school entity or charter school will not discriminate in employment, educational programs, or activities based on race, color, national origin, age, sex, handicap, creed, marital status or because a person is a disabled veteran or a veteran of the Vietnam era. No preschool, elementary or secondary school pupil enrolled in a school district, intermediate unit, or charter school program shall be denied equal opportunity to participate in age and program appropriate instruction or activities due to race, color, handicap, creed, national origin, marital status or financial hardship.