Special Education

Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-446). IDEIA is a federal law that guarantees a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for every child with a disability.  That means if you enroll your child in a public school, his/her education should be at no cost and should be appropriate for his/her age, ability and developmental level.  IDEA is an amended version of the Education for all Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-142), passed in 1975.

Federal and state laws require all students (birth through age 21) with disabilities, residing within the district, who are in need of special education and related services, including children with disabilities attending private schools and children who are homeless or are a ward of the state, to be identified, located, and evaluated, which is a process referred to as CHILD FIND.

Child Find referrals may be initiated by a parent/guardian, doctor, teacher, relative or friend. The individual can call their local school district or Child Find representative. If you are concerned about a child’s learning, contact any school administrator or the Special Programs Office.

For more information about the Child Find program, contact Special Programs at (903) 885-6230.

Overview of Special Education for Parents: English

Información general para los padres sobre la educación especial

TEA Technical Assistance Guide: Child Find and Evaluation

TEA Updates in Special Education

TEA Actualizaciones en Educación Especial

TEA Delayed or Denied Evaluations & Compensatory Services

TEA Evaluaciones Retrasadas o Denegadas & Servicios Compensatorios

Federal and state laws require Sulphur Springs ISD to provide a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for students ages birth through age 21 at no cost to the parent/guardian.

A disability for Special Education services is based on the Full Individual and Initial Evaluation and may include any of the following disability conditions: Auditory Impairment (from birth), Autism, Deaf-Blindness (from birth), Emotional Disturbance, Intellectual Disabilities, Noncategorical Early Childhood (ages three through five), Orthopedic Impairment, Other Health Impairment, Specific Learning Disability, Speech or Language Impairment, Traumatic Brain Injury, or Visual Impairment (including blindness from birth). The parent/guardian of a child with a disability who is enrolled in the private school/homeschool setting may contact the Special Services office for consultation regarding continuum of services and a Full Individual and Initial Evaluation.

All determinations pertaining to educational planning/programming, services to be provided, and placements remain the responsibility of the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee. For additional information, contact the Special Programs Office at (903) 885-6230.

For more information on disabilities and your rights and responsibilities under IDEA, please utilize these resources:

TEA Resources Page

SPEDTEX Special Education Information Center

Inclusion in Texas Network

Notice of Procedural Safeguards (English and Spanish)

Link: Notice of Procedural Safeguards: September 2022: English

PDF: Notice of Procedural Safeguards: September 2022: English

Link: Aviso Sobre Procedimientos de Protección: Septiembre 2022: Espanol

PDF: Aviso Sobre Procedimientos de Proteccion Septiembre 2022: Espanol

All languages can be found at Procedural Safeguards- SPEDTex 

Parents Guide to the Admission, Review, and Dismissal Process (English and Spanish)

Link: Parent’s Guide to the Admission, Review, and Dismissal Process: February 2021

PDF: Parent's Guide to the Admission, Review, and Dismissal Process: February 2021: English 

Link: Guía Para Padres del Proceso de Admisión, Repaso, y Retiro: Febrero 2021

PDF: Guía Para Padres del Proceso de Admisión, Repaso, y Retiro: Febrero 2021

All languages can be found at Parent's Guide to the ARD Process- SPEDTex

A private or home school student who has been identified with a disability based on a Full Individual and Initial Evaluation and meets the Legal Framework guidelines for Special Education services will be offered a Proportionate Shared Services Plan at the time of the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee meeting. The Proportionate Shared Services Plan is updated annually. Refer to the Legal Framework or contact the Special Programs Office at (903) 885-6230 for more information.

Transition Coordinator & Texas Employment Designee (TED):

Kevin Jenkins

(903) 885-6230

kjenkins@ssisd.net

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and state law require that Individual Education Programs (IEPs) for older students address transition services. Transition services are a coordinated set of activities designed to help the child move from school to post-school activities. State transition planning must begin by age 14. Federal law requires that beginning not later than the first IEP to be in effect when the child turns 16, or younger if determined appropriate by the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee. Your child must be invited to the ARD committee meeting when transition services will be discussed.

At least a year before your child reaches the age of majority (age 18 under Texas law), the IEP must include a statement that your child has been informed of his or her rights under IDEA, if any, that will transfer to him or her on reaching the age of majority. Unless your child is determined to be incompetent under state law and you are appointed by a court as the legal guardian, your rights under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) will transfer to your adult child at age 18 except that all notices required by IDEA must be given to both you and your adult child. However, these notices are not an invitation for you to attend meetings. You may only attend meetings if your child invites you or gives the school permission to invite you.

As a result of House Bill 617 from the 83rd Texas Legislature, each local education agency is required to designate at least one employ to serve as the designee regarding the transition and employment services for students receiving special education services.

Texas Transition Website

The Texas Transition and Employment Guide provides youth, young adults, parents and professionals with secondary transition resources to facilitate a young person’s progress towards post-secondary goals to education, employment, and community living. This guide will continually be updated. 

Texas Transition and Employment Guide-English

Texas Transition and Employment Guide-Spanish/ ESPANOL-La guía de transición y empleo de Texas

Texas Transition and Employment Guide-Korean

Texas Transition and Employment Guide-Vietnamese

Texas Transition and Employment Guide-Chinese

Getting To Know The Transition and Employment Guide

A school has a duty to make a referral for an initial evaluation for special education services any time it suspects that a child has a disability and a need for special education services under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). You may also initiate a referral for an initial evaluation of your child at any time.

If a parent makes a written request for an initial evaluation for special education services to the director of special education services or an administrative employee of the school district or open enrollment charter school, the district or charter school must respond no later than 15 school days after receiving the request. At that time, the district or charter school must give the parent a prior written notice of whether it agrees to or refuses to evaluate the student, along with a copy of the Notice of Procedural Safeguards.  If the school district or charter school agrees to evaluate the student, it must also give the parent the opportunity to give written consent for the evaluation. 

Please note that a request for a special education evaluation may be made verbally and does not need to be in writing.  Districts and charter schools must still comply with all federal prior written notice and procedural safeguard requirements and the requirements for identifying, locating, and evaluating children who are suspected of being a child with a disability and in need of special education. However, a verbal request does not require the district or charter school to respond within the 15-school-day timeline.

The initial evaluation and the resulting report must be completed no later than 45 school days from the day the school receives your written consent, except that if your child has been absent from school during the evaluation period on three or more school days, the evaluation period must be extended by a number of school days equal to the number of school days that your child has been absent. The school must give you a copy of the evaluation report at no cost.

If your child is under five years of age by September 1 of the school year and not enrolled in public school, or is enrolled in a private or home school setting regardless of age, the initial evaluation and the resulting report must be completed no later than 45 school days from the day the school receives your written consent.

There is an exception to the 45 school day timeline if the school receives your consent for the initial evaluation at least 35 but less than 45 school days before the last instructional day of the school year. In this case, the written report must be completed and provided to you by June 30 of that year. However, if your child is absent from school on three or more days during the evaluation period, the June 30th due date no longer applies. Instead, the general timeline of 45 school days plus extensions for absences of three or more days will apply.  Click Button below to continue reading.

Read Full Evaluation & Eligibility Information Here