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Special Education Advisory Council SEAC Meeting Flyer
| Meeting Date | Agenda | Approved Minutes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 26, 2024 | |||
| September 19, 2023 | |||
| September 20, 2022 | |||
| February 7, 2023 | |||
| March 1, 2022 | |||
| November 2, 2021 |
Pupil Services Letter Welcome Letter 2022-2023
Homelessness Information for Parents Homelessness_Info_Parents
PUPIL SERVICES OFFICE: Phone: 860-546-1040, Fax: 860-546-6294
Welcome to the Canterbury Public Schools website. The Pupil Services Office is located in the Dr. Helen Baldwin Middle School at 45 Westminster Road, Canterbury, CT 06331. Personnel in this department work closely with families and educators across the district to support all children, especially those who are at risk or experiencing challenges academically, medically, emotionally and/or socially. A continuum of services, in compliance with State and Federal guidelines (IDEA, 504, anti-discrimination, etc.), is provided to accommodate children’s needs. A team of qualified professionals provide comprehensive services to complement and strengthen our educational programs. Pupil Services also supports our Canterbury high school aged students that attend area schools.
Child Find
In accordance with federal regulations, Canterbury is responsible to identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities from birth through age 21 who are in need of special education and related services. Parents of children birth through age 2 should reach out to Connecticut Birth to Three for resources that are appropriate for their concerns and their family’s needs. Children in Canterbury ages 3 and 4 are screened during Preschool registration each spring. Older students may be identified for further testing at various stages of their education.
Referral and PPT
Before a student is referred to determine eligibility for Special Education and Related Services, alternate strategies are explored in the general education environment. While some students respond well to additional supports within general education, others may not make adequate progress which may lead a family member or a teacher to suspect that the student may have a disability. In these situations, a referral may be made and a Planning and Placement Team (PPT) meeting called in order to determine how to best evaluate the child to determine whether the child may require special education.
The Planning and Placement team is unique to each child and includes the student’s parents, teachers, administrators, and providers who may be called upon to evaluate for specific services. These services may include Speech and Language Pathology, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, School Psychologists, or Social Workers. PPTs for High School students include the student.
Resources
The Canterbury Pupil Services office strives to provide all families with resources to help them understand the PPT process, and their rights under federal and state law.
Parent’s Guide to Special Education in CT
Parent’s Guide to Special Education in CT – Spanish
Procedural Safeguards in Special Education
Laws Relating to Seclusion and Restraint in the Public Schools
Understanding the PPT process:
Links for families of Middle and High School Students with disabilities:
Other useful links:
CT Bureau of Special Education
Billing Medicaid for Health Related Services in an IEP
Related Services
The following services are available in each school:
Social work and psychological services
Certified school psychologists and certified school social workers provide a range of services including support for all students as well as, consultation and collaboration with educators, professionals and parents. School social workers and school psychologists work collaboratively with teachers and administrators to help create safe and supportive school environments, empower teachers to understand and respond to students’ social and emotional needs, develop and monitor academic and behavioral interventions to enable students to attain educational goals and personal-social well-being, and coordinate community services, outside providers and agency involvement to prevent problems, enhance independence and promote optimal learning.
School psychologist
Our school psychologist conducts individual assessments to provide information that is helpful in determining a student’s eligibility for special education and related services and in the development of individual academic and behavioral programs which maximize the student’s achievement and educational success.
Speech and language services
Certified speech and language pathologists provide services to students who exhibit speech-language impairments that adversely affect educational performance in accordance with the IEP. Speech and language pathologists participate in the development and monitoring of alternative procedures and programs in general education which may be explored and implemented, where appropriate, before a child is referred to special education. When concerns about a child’s communication development continue despite the implementation of alternative interventions, speech and language pathologists conduct individual assessments to provide information that is helpful in determining a child’s eligibility for speech and language services as special education or a related service.
Physical and occupational therapy
Certified physical and occupational therapists provide services in accordance with the student’s IEP and address delays in areas such as fine motor, gross motor, and sensory integration.