Student Services

There are a many new and old special education acronyms.  For your information the following are most commonly used:

AAC Alternative Augmentative Communication      

ADA Americans with Disabilities Act

ADD Attention Deficit Discorder

ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

ADLs Activities of Daily Living

AFO Ankle Foot Orthosis

AIS Academic Intervention Services

AM Amendment

APE Adaptive Physical Education

ASL American Sign Language

AR Annual Review

ASD Autism Spectrum Disorder

AT Assistive Technology

BD Behavioral Disorder

BIP Behavioral Intervention Program

BIS Behavior Intervention Services

CA Chronological Age

CAPD Central Auditory Processing Disorder

CF Cystic Fibrosis

CFR Code of Federal Regulations

CM Case Manager

CP Cerebral Palsy

CPSE Committee on Preschool Special Education

CSE Committee on Special Education

CSPD Comprehensive System of Personnel Development

DB Deaf-Blind

DD Developmental Delay

DS Down Syndrome

DSM Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

ED Emotional Disturbance

EDGAR Education Dept. General Administrative Regulations

EI Early Intervention

EP Emergency Placement

ENL English as a New Language

ESL English as a Second Language

ESY Extended School Year

FAPE Free Appropriate Public Education

FAS Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

FBA Functional Behavioral Assessment

FERPA Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

FOIA Freedom of Information Act

GE General Education

GT Gifted and Talented

HI Hearing Impaired

IAES Interim Alternative Educational Setting

ICT Integrated Co-Teaching

ID Intellectual Disability

IDEA Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

IEP Individualized Education Plan

IESP Individualized Educational Services Plan

IFSP Individualized Family Service Plan

IHO Impartial Hearing Officer

IR Initial Referral

IST Instructional Support Team

LD Learning Disability

LEA Local Education Agency

LEP Limited English Proficiency

LOTE Language Other Than English

LRE Least Restrictive Environment

MA Mental Age

MD Multiple Disabilities

MD Muscular Dystrophy

MDR/MRT Manifestation Determination Review/Team

OCD Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

ODD Oppositional Defiance Disorder

OHI Other Health Impairment

OI Orthopedic Impairment

O&M Orientation & Mobility

OT Occupational Therapy

PALS Peer-Assisted Learning System

PDD Pervasive Developmental Disability 

PLEP Present Level of Educational Performance

PT Physical Therapy

PWD Preschooler With a Disability

RS Related Services

RTI Response to Intervention

§Section (as in §300.7 in IDEA)

SAS Supplementary Aids and Services

SB Spina Bifida

SC Service Coordinator

SE Special Education

SED State Education Department

SEPAC Special Education Parent Advisory Committee

SES Student Exit Summary

SI Speech Impairment

SLT Speech/Language Therapy

SSP Supplementary Support Personnel

TBI Traumatic Brain Injury

TDD Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf

TLSO Thoracic-Lumbo-Sacral-Orthosis

TS Tourette Syndrome

TTY Teletypewriter (phone system for individuals with deafness)

VI Visual Impairment

• People's Institute for Survival and Beyond
• Teaching Tolerance
• Racism in Schools
• Hate Map of the USA
• Jim Crow Museum
• Race: The Power of an Illusion
• The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow

Students with disabilities participate in the general curriculum in the Amherst Central School District to the maximum extent possible. Students are classified by the Committee on Special Education (CSE) and a comprehensive Individual Education Plan (IEP) is developed based on the individual needs of each student. The following is a list of the available services as part of the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) approach:

Related Services
Related services such as Speech/Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Counseling or Social Work services are provided to students with disabilities as identified on their IEP. Related service providers may implement services in individualized, small group, general education, or special education settings.

Resource Room
Special Education teachers generally provide a daily period of support to students who have been identified as Students with Disabilities through the district Committee on Special Education. Students who receive resource room services are enrolled in general education academic classes, and are provided pre-teaching and re-teaching of essential information as part of the resource room model. These students meet the same performance standards as their non-disabled peers. Students who receive resource room services at the high school are enrolled in either Regents or Developmental Regents classes. Students work individually or in small groups to develop and strengthen skills in specific areas identified in their IEP. Students participating in this program are working toward a Regents diploma or Regents diploma with distinction.

Consultant Teacher Programs
Special Education teachers are available to support students either directly or indirectly, through consultation with general education teachers, throughout the school day or when prescribed by their IEP. Students requiring consultant teacher support do not necessarily need direct academic intervention on a daily basis. 

Integrated Co-Teaching Program
Special Education teachers team teach (co-teach) with general education teachers at each of the four buildings in Amherst. Special Education teachers are working in selected academic classrooms on a daily basis. The Special Education teacher’s role in the classroom is to support and help students meet their IEP goals, but they also innately support the class as a whole by adding to the instructional support available to all students. In addition to consultant teacher support in the general education classroom, students may also receive one period of instructional support daily at the middle and high school levels.

Academic Inclusion
This program is specific to the high school for students who may be struggling academically and who may require more support than that available through the integrated co-teaching model. These students are included in general education classes on a daily basis. These students may participate in some co-taught classes. Most of these students receive two periods of special education support daily beyond classroom support. Diploma status is determined on an individual basis.

Functional Inclusion Program
The 12:1:1 programs are available at the middle and high school levels. These students are included in general education classes on a daily basis to the extent appropriate given individual needs. Additionally the students may participate in community-based instruction or vocational experiences outside of the school. In each setting, either inclusion or community-based, teachers and assistants work with students individually or in small groups to develop and strengthen skills in specific areas identified in the IEP. The components of this program may focus on academic, physical, social, emotional, and/or management needs. Special Education Teachers also work on transition planning with all inclusion students. Students participating in this program are generally assessed using the New York State Alternate Assessment and are working toward a Skills and Achievement Commencement Credential.

Academic (8:1:1) and Functional (8:1:3) Self-Contained Programs
Amherst has developed self-contained classrooms to address either academic and behavioral, or functional needs of some of our students who have not found success in the inclusion general education setting. These programs were developed to maintain placement of our students in our buildings as opposed to looking to agency settings outside of the district. Once students find success here, many are then appropriately re-integrated into the general education classrooms with support of the staff, often in our integrated or co-taught classrooms.

Amherst Central School District students attending public or non-public schools who qualify for home tutoring due to a long term illness, disability or disciplinary action shall be provided with such instruction in accordance with New York State Education Law and Commissioner’s Regulations.  Upon satisfactory completion of the assignment(s), as determined by the teacher(s), students will receive credit for their work while on home instruction.

Some important points to be aware of include the following:

• Home instruction will be for those students who are physically unable to attend classes as well as all others who are provided for in the Education Law.
• A district administrator will make reasonable efforts to ensure that the provision of home tutoring services takes into consideration the impact of school absences on class attendance and grading (i.e. minimal attendance).

• Teachers for home instruction will be selected by a district administrator whenever needed. 

• Physician’s certification, Committee on Special Education recommendation, or Superintendent’s direction is necessary for home instruction. 

• Home instruction will terminate as soon as the individual student is able to attend regular classes and a timeline is required prior to initiation.

• Approved services include the following:  Elementary students – maximum of  5 hours home instruction weekly; Secondary students – maximum of 10 hours home instruction weekly.  Differences may depend on educational needs. 

Responsibilities of the parent are as follows:

• The parent/guardian makes a request in writing for home instruction of a student after satisfying eligibility requirements, unless the request is coming from the CSE. 
• The request shall include the reasons why the student is unable to attend school, with supporting documentation, and approximately how long home instruction will be needed. 

Following a Request

• The Superintendent or Committee on Special Education reviews the request and makes a decision.

From time to time, parents will choose to instruct their children at home.  The philosophy of Amherst Central School District is to cooperate with parents who wish to provide home schooling for their children realizing that the child who is educated at home should receive an education in a manner consistent with an educational plan and at least substantially equivalent to that given to students of like age and attainments in our public schools.  The required subjects should be taught in a competent, systematic, and sequential manner, specifically in relation to the required courses as enumerated in Commissioner’s Regulation Section 100.10. 

Provision of Services to Home-Instructed Students
Students provided home schooling are not awarded an Amherst Central High School diploma. A high school diploma may only be awarded to a student enrolled in a registered secondary school who has completed all program requirements set by the Board of Regents, the school or the District.  Please refer to District policy for further information. 

Regarding specialized services, the District shall offer a home-instructed student with disabilities the special education services as addressed in the approved Individualized Education Program (IEP) by the Committee on Special Education.  However, there is no requirement that the services be provided in the student’s home. 

Notice of Intent to Instruct at Home
Parents/guardians must annually provide written notice to the Superintendent of their intention to instruct their child at home by July 1 of each school year.  Assessment of such intentions and further documentation necessary for an IHIP are managed by the Office of Special Education and Pupil Personnel. 

If parents/guardians choose to provide home instruction or establish residence in the School District after the start of the school year, they must provide written notice to the Superintendent within fourteen (14) days following the commencement of home instruction. 

Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP)
The Superintendent or his/her designee (ie. Director of Special Education and Pupil Personnel), then provides parents/guardians a copy of Section 100.10 of the Commissioner’s regulations addressing home instruction and a form on which to submit an individualized home instruction plan for each child of compulsory attendance age who is to be taught at home.  School administration will provide assistance, if requested, to parents/guardians in preparation of the individualized home instruction plan. The child’s IHIP and Quarterly Report submission dates must be submitted by August 15 of each school year.  

Administrative Review
The Superintendent or his/her designee shall review completed IHIP forms and either notify parents/guardians that the IHIP is in compliance or provide written notice of any deficiency in the IHIP.  If the individualized home instruction plan is determined not to be in compliance, parents/guardians must submit a revised IHIP which corrects any deficiencies. 

Quarterly Reports
On or before the dates specified by the parent/guardian in the IHIP, a quarterly report for each child shall be furnished by the parent/guardian to the School District. 

Annual Assessment
At the time of filing the fourth quarterly report as specified in the IHIP, the parent/guardian shall also file an annual assessment.  The annual assessment shall include the results of the commercially published norm-referenced achievement test or an alternative form of evaluation. 

Alternative evaluation methods are also utilized in specific situations.  

General Guidelines 

1. Parents are not required to register their child in the public school if they plan to provide home instruction. However, the parent, if requested, must demonstrate that the child resides within the Amherst Central School District and is of compulsory attendance age.
2. School officials may request a meeting with the parents/guardians to discuss the process of home schooling, but they may not deny parents the right to home instruct if the parents decline such a meeting.
3. The District is obligated to reply within ten (10) business days of receiving the notice of intent for home instruction by sending to the parents a copy of the Commissioner’s Regulation Section 100.10 and a form on which to submit an individualized home instruction plan (IHIP).
4. New York State law does not require any specific credentials for the person(s) providing home instruction.
5. A participant in interscholastic sports must be enrolled in the public school.  Also, children educated other than public school may not participate in intramural and other school-sponsored club activities (i.e. extracurricular activities) pursuant to Board of Education policy.
6. Home-instructed students will not be allowed to use school facilities, except as provided for community organizations in policy #3280 – Use of School Facilities.
7. Students instructed at home are not required to meet the immunization requirements for the in-school students pursuant to the provisions of Public Health Law Section 2164.  If the Commissioner of Health notifies school officials of the outbreak of a disease for which immunization is required, however, parents of children on home instruction who seek to participate in testing or other activities on the premises of the public school must produce proof of immunization or the children must be denied access to the school building.
8. Although not obligated to do so, pursuant to Board of education policy, the District may allow parents or students on home instruction to borrow instructional items to the extent available from the public school such as library books, microscopes, computer software, and movie projectors.
9. In accordance with Education law and Commissioner’s regulations, the District shall  conduct a census and register of students with disabilities who reside in the District.
10. Students instructed at home may not participate in the instructional program of    the Amherst Central School District (exceptions are listed below).
11. The District must offer a student with disabilities the special education services as addressed in the approved Individualized Education Program (IEP) by the Committee on Special Education.  However, there is no requirement that such services be delivered at the student’s home.  If such services are provided other than at the student’s home, transportation must be offered to the extent necessary to enable the student to benefit from the instruction.  The need for special transportation must be addressed in the student’s IEP.  Further, if a student with a disability receives special education in accordance with an approved IEP, the District must provide the student with any specialized instructional materials necessary to enable the student to benefit from special education.
12. The District shall not, pursuant to Board of Education policy, allow home-instructed students to participate in “dual enrollment” services – that is, occupational and vocational education programs (career and technical education programs) and programs for the gifted.
13. The District is not required to furnish health services to students on home instruction.
14. The District is not responsible for providing remedial programs for home-instructed students.
15. Summer school programs are open to all resident students of the District.
16. The Amherst Central School District may require home visits, upon three (3) days written notice to the parents, only when the home instruction program is on probation.  Under any other circumstances, the school official may request a home visit but the parent would not be required to consent to the request.
17. Parents are required to keep attendance records for each student, but there is no legal obligation for them to maintain any other records.

The purpose of a memorial is to commemorate in personal and meaningful ways the lives, not the deaths, of those who are deceased. Recognizing the need for students, staff, family members and the community to express their grief and let others know the value of the deceased is very important. The challenge for schools is to strike a balance between compassionately meeting the needs of grieving students and appropriately memorializing the student who died without triggering other students who may be at risk. Research indicates that the risk of suicide increases whenever there is a death, regardless of the manner of that death. This is why it is essential that our response to loss, and to the request for memorials, be handled in thoughtful ways that consider the potential impact to at-risk students. Being prepared with consistent protocol helps the community focus on the life of a student rather than dwell on the circumstances of the death. 

Memorial Committee
A “memorial committee” is in place to screen memorial requests. Their task is to help guide appropriate decisions regarding memorialization and to minimize contagion and destructive focus of community energy that can happen when deaths are treated differently. The committee’s interest will be to identify a meaningful, safe approach to acknowledge the loss, making sure the school is sensitive to the needs of the students, family, and community. This will support the process of grieving and provide a uniform response to all deaths. No one who requests a memorial activity has any intention of creating a situation that puts another person at risk, so a simple explanation of the contagion concept may help positively alter the direction of memorial requests. Protecting vulnerable students is of the utmost importance. 

Things to keep in mind when making memorial decisions:
Wherever possible, encourage life-affirming ways to memorialize a student.  

Examples:

• Temporary memorials such as decorating a locker or making a journal.  These items should be time-limited, generally until the time of the funeral when items can then be shared with the family.
• Moments of reflection.
• Temporary sticker or band on uniform if a student played a sport (not an image of the deceased).
• Making a donation to a local crisis center or organization.
• Participating in an event that raises awareness about suicide prevention.
• Buying books for the library.
• Hosting a program that stresses resilience and protective factors.
• Service projects that focus on helping each other.
• Have a community service day in honor of that person.
• Team participation in an awareness program (Out of the Darkness Walk).
• Volunteer at a local Crisis hotline.
• Make a book where people can write notes to the family and then present it to them.
• Collaborating with a local community service agency that promotes good mental health.

Things to avoid:

• Permanent memorials can serve as constant reminders of loss and grief and should be avoided (tree planting, plaques).
• Clothing or items with the deceased name or picture.
• Flying the flag at half-staff.  There are state regulations on flag flying that are not in the jurisdiction of a school district.
• Putting memorials on District websites.
• Dedicating yearbooks.
• Fundraising for a memorial.
• Making special acknowledgement at graduation or awards assemblies.
• Dismissing school for funeral arrangements.
• Having a school assembly or a large public service. 

School memorials should take into account the need for the school “family” to grieve, yet be vigilant to the triggering and traumatizing effect that memorials can have. Above all, school memorials must be consistent and equitable for all students and all manners of death. 

Resources:
After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools (pgs. 27-32)
Lifelines Intervention Manual (Chapter 8, pgs. 157-160)

What is a Skills Achievement Commencement Credential (formerly IEP Diploma)?
Some students, due to the nature of their disability, are not able to meet the necessary requirements set by the State of New York to earn a Local/Regents Diploma.  As an Individual Education Plan (IEP) is developed in conjunction with the Committee on Special Education, comprehensive goals and benchmarks are developed and evaluated on a regular basis throughout the school year.  Satisfactory completion of the goals and standards, as established in the IEP, can result in that student earning an IEP Diploma and becoming eligible to participate in graduation ceremonies at the end of his/her program.  Students obtaining an IEP Diploma often do not take formal NYS and/or Regents examinations, but are rather assessed through the NYS Alternate Assessment process. 

At their January 2010 meeting, the Board of Regents supported the development of a credential that would document student achievement of the Career Development and Occupational Studies (CDOS) learning standards and acknowledge successful completion of academic and career and technical education (CTE) programs and coursework that is available to all students as a supplement to the regular high school diploma.  The Regents also supported a replacement for the IEP diploma for students with disabilities unable to earn a regular diploma.  When this was publicly discussed, there was considerable support for the adoption of a Skills and Achievement Commencement Credential for students with severe disabilities, but not quite as much support for the provision of a CTE commencement option available only for students with disabilities.  Widespread support was expressed for the consideration of multiple pathways to a diploma and specifically, the development of a credential that would document student achievement against the CDOS standards, which would be made available to all students, including those without disabilities. 

What is an Extension of the Safety Net for Students with Disabilities?
The Board of Regents, at their October 2012 meeting, approved the emergency adoption of an amendment to section 100.5 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education.  These regulations, effective October 31, 2012, provide an additional option for a student with a disability to earn a local diploma through the use of a “compensatory option” if the student:

1.   scores between 45-54 on one or more of the five required Regents exams, other than the English language arts (ELA) or mathematics exam*, but scores 65 or higher on one or more of the required Regents exams, in which case the lower score(s) can be compensated by the higher score(s)**; and 

2.   obtains a passing grade, that meets or exceeds the required passing grade by the school, for the course in the subject area of the Regents examination in which he or she received a score of 45-54; and 

3.   has a satisfactory attendance rate, in accordance with the district’s or school’s attendance policy, for the school year during which the student took the examination in which he or she received a score of 45-54, exclusive of excused absences; and 

4.   is not already using a passing score on one or more Regents Competency Tests (RCTs) to graduate with a local diploma.  (A student may not use the compensatory score option if he or she is using a passing score on one or more RCTs to graduate with a local diploma.) 

* A score of at least 55 must be earned on both the ELA and mathematics exams.

** A score of 65 or higher on a single examination may not be used to compensate for more than one examination for which a score of 45-54 is earned. 

Checklist for Eligibility for the Compensatory Safety Net Option 

The student is eligible for the compensatory safety net option if he/she meets ALL of the following requirements. 

1. The student: is classified as a student with a disability and has an individualized education program; or was declassified in grade eight or later and the committee on special education recommended that the student continue to be eligible to graduate with a local diploma through the safety net options; or as a Section 504 Accommodation Plan and is recommended for the safety net on his/her Section 504 plan. 
2. The student earned at least a score of 55 on both the English language arts and math Regents examinations that are required for graduation.
3. The student earned a score of 65 or higher on one or more required Regents examinations1 to compensate, on a one-to-one basis, for each required Regents examination in which he or she received a score of 45-54.
4. The student earned a passing grade, as determined by the school, in the subject area of the required Regents examinations in which he or she received a score of 45-54.
5. The student has an attendance rate that was deemed to be satisfactory, based on the district’s or school’s attendance policy, during the school year in which he or she received a score of 45-54 on the required Regents examination.
6. The student is relying only on Regents examination scores, and not the Regents Competency Test, to obtain a local diploma. 

1 Regents examinations required to earn a regular high school diploma include Comprehensive English; Mathematics; Global History and Geography; Science; and U.S. History and Government.

• Through special events 
• Through a peer bonding system, also known as a "bond buddy", at our already existing clubs and activities.