SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES
Millennium Community School to provides special education and related services. Students with special needs at Millennium receive a quality education that is appropriate to their needs and abilities. Our special education staff is well trained and committed to the service of our students with special needs. Students with special needs may be served in either the general education setting or in a small group instructional setting. A team, including the parents, on an individual basis, makes placement decisions. In addition to special education services, we also provide a range of related services including Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy for our students who need these services.
The Intervention Assistance Team
The Intervention Assistance Team is a committee of teaching personnel that provides ongoing support of classroom teachers and students. When a student is identified as having a possible special education or behavioral improvement need, that student
may be referred to the Intervention Assistance Team by his or her parent, teacher or other school personnel. The team provides a forum for discussion of the student's academic and behavioral needs. The team can then generate, initiate and monitor solutions to those concerns. Parents are encouraged to participate in this process. The Intervention Assistance Team is a pre-referral intervention-planning group for students who have not yet been identified as having a disability. If the team deems it appropriate, the student can be referred for assessment for special education services. If a child is being considered by the Intervention Assessment Team, the parents will be informed and invited to participate in any meetings at which the child will be discussed. If a child is referred for formal assessment, parental permission is required before the assessment can begin.
Evaluations
The evaluation team shall conduct an initial evaluation that is sufficiently comprehensive to identify all of the student's special education needs. The team will consist of the school personnel involved in the child's education as well as ancillary-support personnel, which may include the School Psychologist, Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist or Physical Therapist as appropriate. Parents will be invited to be actively involved in the evaluation and to provide information as appropriate.
Once a student is placed on an Individualized Education Program (IEP), the IEP is reviewed annually and the student is re-evaluated every three years. This ensures that programming and placement decisions change with the needs of the student.
Inclusion of Students with Disabilities
Millennium is committed to providing the fullest level of inclusion that is deemed to be both possible and appropriate for each student by a team including general and special educators, administration and the student's parents. We strive to instruct each student in the least restrictive environment possible based on that student's individual needs.
Parent Participation
Parents and legal guardians have the expressed right to participate in all meetings that pertain to the evaluation, identification and educational placement of their child. The team will seek information regarding the child from his or her parents or legal guardian during the child study process conducted by the Intervention Assistance Team. The parent's or legal guardian's presence will be requested at all subsequent meetings. The child's parents or legal guardian will be considered members of both the Multi-Factored Evaluation (MFE) Team and the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team.
Millennium Community School is compliant with current laws and regulations concerning our students with special needs. For more information, please contact our Exceptional Education Coordinator.