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The following links will take you to pages
regarding specific Leon County Schools Exceptional Student Education programs.
From there,
you can check out the related Florida Administrative Code (FAC) that begins at the top of
that page, and then return to this page (Programs) or the Florida Statutes/Rules Index
page. In addition, you may find information related to the McKay
Scholarship Program on this page.
Each district creates a document, Special Programs and Procedures, that specifies general procedures regarding ESE
services, gives procedures for specific programs, and contains other important
information about the provision of ESE services in the district. You may
access the Special Programs and Procedures document for Leon County Schools
through this link.
Unless noted for a specific program, general information
about: (1) pre-referral activities, (2) referral, (3) evaluation and re-evaluation, (4)
eligibility staffings, (5) placement and (6) forms used throughout the process can be found on the
Leon County Schools' ESE Eligibility and
ESE Forms pages.
McKay Scholarship Information
Florida's school choice programs ensure that no
child will be left behind by allowing parents to choose the best educational
setting—public or private—for their child. The McKay Scholarships for
Students with Disabilities Program provided over 20,500 Florida students with
special needs the opportunity to attend a participating private school during
the 2008-09 school year. The program also offers parents public school choice. A
parent of a special needs student who is dissatisfied with the student’s
current school may choose to transfer the student to another public school.
Students with one or more ESE disabilities with
an individual educational plan (IEP) who have been enrolled and reported at a
Florida public at a Florida public school during the October and February
FTE surveys during the prior year are eligible for this program.
Parents of eligible students with disabilities
have the following choices:
- Continue to enroll your child in the
assigned public school;
- Transfer your child to another public school
within the same district, consistent with the district's Choice Plan
(transportation provided);
- Transfer your child to another public school
in an adjacent district and provide transportation; or
- Enroll your child in a participating
private school and provide transportation.
To learn more about this program and to
register your intent to involve your student in this program, please visit the McKay
Scholarship website. For
information about a McKay Scholarship for a qualifying Leon County Schools ESE
student, please contact the Exceptional Student Education office at 487-7158.
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Gifted
Most students who are classified as Gifted
are served in their home schools (K-12). A few elementary
students are bussed to satellite center schools once a week.
Florida Administrative
Rule for Students who are Gifted.
Florida Administrative Rule for the Development of Educational Plans for
Exceptional Students who are Gifted.
The Leon County Schools Gifted
Education Website has information for both parents and teachers
interested in gifted education, including local and national gifted
news, information about school-based programs, and the latest on the
parent organization in Leon County.
The
Florida
Department of Education has developed a website with multiple
links so that parents can access laws and regulations as well as
publications related to giftedness. A DOE-funded program at the
University of North Florida in Jacksonville, WOGI
(Working on Gifted Issues), also has a resource page that may be
of interest.
Educational
Resources Information Center (ERIC) is a national information
system funded by the U.S. Department of
Education's Institute
of Education Sciences to provide access to education literature
and resources. ERIC is currently in a transition period as a new
company takes over its functions, but you can still search the
extensive ERIC database (including much information on gifted
education) from this site.
National Association for Gifted Children is
an
organization of educators, administrators, and parents who unite to address the unique
needs of children and youth with demonstrated gifts and talents as well as those children
who may be able to develop their talent potential with appropriate educational
experiences. Their website contains a wealth of information about
giftedness and gifted education as well as listings of summer programs
for gifted students.
The
Association for the Gifted (TAG) was organized as a division of
the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) in 1958. TAG
plays a major part in helping both professionals and parents work more
effectively with one of our most precious resources: the gifted child.
The primary purpose of this organization is to promote the welfare and
education of children and youth with gifts, talents, and/or high
potential.
Florida
Gifted Network is a state-wide organization whose
mission is to educate the public about the needs of gifted learners
and to advocate effectively for issues that
affect the rights of these exceptional students and
the services they receive. This
organization also serves as a source of information for parents of
gifted students.
Florida
Association for the Gifted (FLAG) is an affiliate of NAGC and is
made up of teachers and administrators as well as parents. The
mission of FLAG is to support educationally sound programs for the
gifted through exchanging information, promoting research, supporting
constructive changes in all areas of gifted education, and cooperating
with other local and state organizations in reaching mutual goals and
objectives in support of gifted education. FLAG offers a
state-wide conference each October in addition to regional activities.
Duke University Talent Identification
Program identifies academically talented students and provides programs and services
to support the development of their optimal potential. The TIP at Duke is
one of several US regional centers and serves the southeastern states including
Florida.
The mission of the Davidson
Institute for Talent Development is to recognize, nurture and
support profoundly intelligent young people and to provide
opportunities for them to develop their talents to make a positive
difference. Formed in 1999,
the institute is funded by Bob and Jan Davidson; it also has received
grants from the Davidson Foundation to support the Davidson Fellows
award and GT-CyberSource, a searchable database for information on
giftedness.
Supporting
Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) focuses primarily on the
adults in the lives of gifted children. SENG provides
information on identification, guidance, and effective ways to live
and work with gifted individuals. SENG is dedicated to fostering
environments in which gifted adults and children, in all their
diversity, understand and accept themselves and are understood,
valued, nurtured, and supported by their families, schools,
workplaces, and communities.
Hoagies'
Gifted Education Page is a resource guide for the education of
gifted children with links to resources on nearly every aspect of
gifted education available on the Internet, plus annotations and first
hand information provided by parents.
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| Homebound
or Hospitalized Students who have a medically diagnosed physical or mental condition which
confines the student to home or hospital for an extended period of time may
qualify for Hospital or Homebound services.
Florida
Administrative Rule for Students who are Homebound or
Hospitalized.
Starbright World is a private,
interactive computer network specially designed for hospitalized teenagers (ages
13-20). The network allows these students to interact with a community of
peers, helping each other cope with the day to day realities of life with
illness.
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| Autism
Spectrum Disorder
Leon County Schools provide services to children with
ASD in a continuum
of settings, from special school to the regular classroom, based on the child's IEP
goals.
Florida Administrative Rule on Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism Society of America
- The Autism Society of America promotes community access and opportunity for
all individuals and their families within the autism spectrum. Its mission is
education, advocacy at state and federal levels, active public awareness and the promotion
of research.
The
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development--The
NICHD, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is one of the
primary Institutes doing research into various aspects of autism,
including its causes, prevalence, and treatments. The goal of
their web site is to provide easy access to the most current
information about NICHD research projects, publications, news
releases, and other activities related to autism and similar
disorders.
Autism
Information Center of the National Center of Birth Defects and
Developmental Disorders (a division of the Centers for Disease
Control) provides useful links with general information about autism,
activities of the CDC in this area, other federal and state autism
activities funded by the CDC, and a Kids' Quest (Internet search) on
Autism Spectrum Disorders.
National
Institute of Mental Health maintains an autism website which
provides booklets, fact sheets, summaries of information on clinical
trails, and other research summaries about autism.
FSU Center for Autism and Related
Disabilities (CARD) serves both children and adults with autism spectrum
disorders who experience all levels of intellectual functioning. The primary
focus is to provide an individualized, direct response to the needs of these
individuals and their families. The CARD website contains information about
available training and local support groups.
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Visually
Impaired
Sttudents with visual
impairments are served in their home-zoned school or in a vision
cluster school, depending on the goals of the IEP. Currently,
elementary vision students with the highest service needs are
clustered at Sullivan Elementary.
Florida
Administrative Rule on Special Programs for Students who are Visually Impaired.
Blindness Resource Center provides a
wealth of information on a variety of subjects, such as Braille literacy, translators,
advocacy, eye diseases, low vision resources and vendors specializing in technology.
American Foundation for the Blind is a
leading national resource for people who are blind or visually impaired, the
organizations that serve them, and the general public. The Web site provides
information on a variety of topics, including education, employment, technology,
Braille, and Helen Keller.
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| Dual-Sensory
Impaired
Florida
Administrative Rule for Students who are Dual-Sensory Impaired
DB-LINK
The National
Information Clearinghouse on Children Who Are Deaf-Blind is a federally funded information
and referral service consisting of four organizations (American Association of the
Deaf-Blind, Helen Keller National Center, Perkins School for the Blind and Teaching
Research) that identifies, coordinates, and disseminates (at no cost) information related
to children and youth who are deaf-blind (ages birth to 21 years).
Florida Outreach Project for
Individuals with Deaf-Blindness is funded through the United States Department of
Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. The Project is
designed to build the capacity of the local school districts to create solutions to
educational challenges often associated with students who experience both vision and
hearing impairments. The Florida Outreach Project addresses three critical areas in the
education of individuals with deaf-blindness:
- Identification of persons with deaf-blindness and maintenance of the deaf-blind census
in the State of Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands;
- Technical assistance and support to families, teachers, and others who live and work
with individuals who are deaf-blind in Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands;
- Training for families, school districts, and service providers.
National Technical Assistance
Consortium for children and young adults who are deaf-blind. NTAC
provides technical assistance to families and agencies serving children and
young adults who are deaf-blind. The primary mission of NTAC is to
assist states in improving the quality of services (birth to age 28) who are
deaf-blind and to increase the number of children, young adults, their
families, and their service providers who will benefit from these
services.
FSU Center for Autism and Related Disabilities
(CARD) not only serves children and adults with autism, but also
serves persons with dual sensory impairments. Their primary focus is to provide
an individualized direct response to the needs of these individuals and their
families.
A-Z
to Deafblindness is a website developed by a man who is deafblind
himself. It provides a lot of information about this condition
including about manual two-handed signing and links to many other
useful sites.
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| Occupational Therapy
Florida
Administrative Rules for Exceptional Students Who Require Occupational
Therapy
Occupational therapy is a related
service and is therefore available only to students who are
already classified as exceptional students. The related service
is provided only to students who need educationally
relevant OT services to make progress toward meeting one or more
IEP goals.
Resources / Links
American Occupational Therapy Association
is a national professional society established in 1917 to represent the
interests and concerns of practitioners and to improve the quality of OT
services. The website "consumer" section contains useful information
and links to related sites.
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| Physical Therapy
Florida Administrative Rules for Exceptional Students who Require
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is a related
service and is therefore available only to students who are already
classified as exceptional students. The related service is
provided only to students who need educationally
relevant PT services to make progress toward meeting one or more IEP
goals.
Resources / Links
American Physical Therapy
Association
is a non-profit organization representing nearly 70,000 PT's and PTA's. The
association's consumer website contains useful information including downloadable
Parent Education brochures.
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| Physically
Impaired Students who are considered physically impaired fall under one of the
following categories (links to Florida Administrative Rules):
Physically Impaired with Orthopedic Impairment
Physically Impaired with Other Health Impairment
Physically Impaired with Traumatic Brain Injury
United Cerebral Palsy Association has
been committed to change and progress for people with disabilities for 50
years. UPC's mission is to advance the independence, productivity, and full
citizenship of people with Cerebral Palsy and other disabilities.
Easter Seals is a community based health
agency dedicated to helping children and adults with disabilities attain
greater independence.
The
National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke website provide up-to-date information
regarding the causes, treatment, and prognosis for traumatic brain injury.
The site also contains links to other useful sites.
Children
and Adults with Attention/Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a national
organization representing those of all ages with ADHD. Founded in 1987 by a
group of concerned parents, CHADD works to improve the lives of people with
ADHD through advocacy, education, and support. The Leon
County Chapter runs support groups for parents/caregivers of children with
ADHD as well as for adults with ADHD.
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Specific
Learning Disabilities
Florida
Administrative Rule for Students with Specific Learning Disabilities
Resources/Links
LD Online
is an interactive guide to learning
disabilities for parents, teachers, and children. It provides a range of information
on a wide variety of topics within the area of learning disabilities. Included on
this site are articles written by experts in the field, research findings, and and the
latest news in the field of learning disabilities.
Learning Disabilities Association
is a
non-profit organization whose purpose is to advance the education and general welfare of
children and adults of normal or potentially normal intelligence who manifest handicaps of
a perceptual, conceptual, or coordinative nature.
National Center for Learning Disabilities provides a
variety of services, including free of charge a national information and referral service,
support in the development of innovative educational programs, public outreach, and
legislative advocacy.
Council for Learning Disabilities
(CLD) is an
international organization that promotes effective teaching and
research. CLD is composed of professionals who represent diverse
disciplines and who are committed to enhance the education and
lifespan development of individuals with learning disabilities.
CLD establishes standards of excellence and promotes innovative
strategies for research and practice through interdisciplinary
collegiality, collaboration, and advocacy.
Children and Adults with Attention/Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder is a national organization representing those of all
ages with ADHD. Founded in 1987 by a group of concerned parents, CHADD works to
improve the lives of people with ADHD through advocacy, education, and
support. The Leon
County Chapter runs support groups for parents/caregivers of children with
ADHD as well as for adults with ADHD.
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| Speech
and Language Impaired
Florida
Administrative Rule: Exceptional Student Education Eligibility for
Students with Language Impairments and Qualifications and Responsibilities for
the Speech-Language Pathologist Providing Language Services
Florida
Administrative Rule: Exceptional Student Education Eligibility
for Students with Speech Impairments and Qualifications and
Responsibilities for the Speech-Language Pathologist Providing Speech
Services
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
is a national organization of speech-language pathologists and speech,
language, and hearing scientists. The mission of ASHA is to promote the
interests of and provide the highest quality of services and to advocate for
people with communication disorders. The site provides valuable information for
consumers.
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| Intellectual
Disabilities
Students intellectual disabilities are those with significantly sub-average
intellectual functioning who also have deficits in adaptive and academic functioning.
Florida
Administrative Rule for Students with Intellectual Disabilities
The mission of the
National Down Syndrome Society is to benefit
people with Down syndrome and their families through national leadership in
education, research and advocacy.
American
Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities is the
professional association run for and by professionals who support persons with
intellectual and developmental disabilities. AAIDD has been providing leadership in the field of mental retardation since
1876.
The
NICHCY site on
intellectual disabilities provides information about this condition along with tips for
families and teachers.
Special
Olympics is an international program of
year-round sports training and athletic competition for more than one million
children and adults with mental retardation. Its mission is to provide
year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type
sports for individuals with mental retardation by giving them continuing
opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy
and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their
families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. Leon County
has an active Special Olympics program that includes students and adults.
Their website is
a great source of information for the local program. Leon County Schools
has a liaison with local, regional, and state programs and is actively involved
in promoting Special Olympics activities.
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Deaf or
Hard-of-HearingStudents with
hearing impairments are served in a variety of settings. Students with the most intense service needs generally attend Moore
Elementary, Swift Creek Middle School, and Lincoln High School.
Florida Administrative Rule
for Students who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing
Resources/Links
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
is a national organization of speech-language pathologists and speech,
language, and hearing scientists. The mission of ASHA is to promote the
interests of and provide the highest quality of services and to advocate for
people with communication disorders. The site provides valuable information for
consumers.
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Emotional/Behavior DisabilitiesStudents with emotional/behavioral
disabilities are
those who demonstrate persistent and consistent maladaptive behavior
which interferes with the student's learning process.
Florida Administrative Rule
on Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities
Resources/Links
The National
Mental Health Association (NMHA) is the country's oldest and largest
nonprofit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and
mental illness. With affiliate chapters nationwide, NMHA works to improve the mental health of
all Americans, especially the 54 million individuals with mental
disorders, through advocacy, education, research and service.
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