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SCS General Information
Special
Education
Shelby County Schools
Division of Special Education
5650 Woodlawn St.
Bartlett,
TN
38134
Phone:
(901)
321-2710
Fax:
(901)
321-2711
Ms. Marty Redding
Executive
Director
of Special Education
The Shelby County
Board of Education provides an educational
program for eligible students with disabilities
ages 3 to 21. Preschool services for eligible
children with disabilities ages 3-5 are also
available. If you have or know of such a
child, please call (901) 321-2710.
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
Did you know that
federal funds may be used to support students
with disabilities who attend private or home
schools?
Shelby County Schools provides limited services to support students with disabilities
who do not attend public schools. If you would like to know more about this
opportunity, please contact the Special Education Division at 321-2710, or
send your request along with your name, phone number, and address to:
Beth Schermerhorn
Shelby County Schools
Special Education Division
5650 Woodlawn St.
Bartlett, TN 38134 |
Programs & Services | Evaluations & Reevaluations | IEP-Teams & IEPs | Moving
to Shelby County - Special Needs Student?
Programs and Services
in SCS
Shelby County Schools offers a wide variety of services for students with special
needs. We have resource (part-time pull-out) classes in every school. Services
in speech, occupational, and physical therapy are provided in every school. Over
two-thirds (2/3) of our schools have self-contained (Comprehensive Development
Classes) CDC classes or Expanded Resource classes. We have preschool classes
for students with disabilities in 11 locations (and growing!). We no longer have
a special school for disabled students, as we prefer to locate students in their
home schools or as close to home as possible. More information on our various
services can be obtained by contacting the Division of Special Education at (901)321-2710.
<<Return
to Special Ed Menu
Evaluations and Reevaluations
My child has never received special education
services, but I suspect a problem.
What do I do?
In this case, simply contact your child's school and ask that
they pursue an assessment. It is necessary to be as specific as possible about
the types of problems you see your child experiencing. This is needed so that
it can be determined what professionals need to be involved and the extent of
the assessment that will be needed. Some problems can be solved simply by bringing
them to the attention of everyone involved. Others will require full evaluations.
Either way, the school is the best
place to start.
If your child is not enrolled in a Shelby County school, or you are not satisfied
that the problems have been dealt with at the local school level, contact the
Division
of Special Education at (901)321-2710.
How often must my child be reevaluated?
Current law requires that a reevaluation occur at least every
three years. The extent of this reevaluation is determined by the IEP team. In
many cases, additional testing will not be required.
<<Return
to Special Ed Menu
IEP-Teams and IEPs
What is an IEP-Team?
This simply refers to the group of individuals at the school
level who will meet to discuss your child's needs, develop and review plans,
and decide what placement will best meet his/her needs. Typically, the IEP-Team
will consist of the school principal or his/her designee, your child's teacher
(or teachers), a special education teacher, and the parent/guardians. At times,
others may be a part of the team. Other individuals might include: speech pathologists;
physical therapists; occupational therapists; specialist teachers like art, music,
and physical education teachers; and even the student. The parents/guardians
may bring anyone to the IEP-Team that they feel can assist them in the process.
When should the IEP-Team meet?
The IEP-Team will meet when your child is initially placed in
a special education program and at least annually thereafter. However, any member
of the IEP-Team, including parent/guardian, may ask for the team to reconvene
at any time.
What is an IEP? Is it the same as an
IFSP?
An IEP is an Individualized Education Program. It is developed
on an annual basis and provides the guidance for the provision of special education
services for your student. Present levels of performance lead to the development
of appropriate goals and objectives for the coming year. The IEP also spells
out what, if any, related services will be required for your child to benefit
from his/her special education program.
An IFSP is an Individualized Family Service Plan, and it is developed for students
below the age of 3. Early intervention service providers work closely with families
to develop a plan for the types of services that are needed to give the infant/toddler
the early intervention he/she requires. IFSPs, or parts of them, can sometimes
be used in place of an IEP. In Shelby County we have usually preferred to use
the
IFSP for guidance but to develop a new IEP appropriate for the school setting.
What is a Transition Plan?
Transition plans are required by law to be included as a part of the IEP for
students age 16 and older. They may be written for students at an even younger
age if the IEP-Team feels it is appropriate. The Transition Plan is intended
to provide guidance for the IEP-Team and the family in seeking the appropriate
services and preparing for
life after the student exits the school system.
<<Return
to Special Ed Menu
Moving to Shelby County with a Special Needs Student?
Memphis and Shelby County are two separate school districts. Geographical location
will determine which district will provide services for your child. Your real
estate agent can provide that information, or you can call the main offices of
either school system with your exact address in the greater Memphis area.
Providing a full copy of the student's record of special education services will
be required. This can be accomplished either by signing a release of information
at your present school and asking that the records be forwarded to the above
address or by securing a release form from our offices for that purpose. Either
way, your signature will be required before records will be released. School
systems across the country handle records differently, so you should allow plenty
of time for records to be copied and mailed to Shelby County Schools. Waiting
until you actually move to Shelby County before requesting the records may slow
down the process of records transfer.
If you have records sent ahead before your family actually
moves, please ask the sender to identify the child and the proposed address in
Shelby County. We occasionally get records with no identification
and have no way of acting upon
the records or contacting the parent/guardian.
Be sure to have copies of your child's birth certificate, social security card,
immunization record, proof of residence (Policy #6103) and record of custody
(if applicable). These will
be needed for enrollment into the public school system.
Will my child be able to start school
right away?
You have the right to enroll your child in a public school upon
meeting the regular enrollment requirements (proof of in-district residence,
current immunizations, birth certificate and social security numbers). However,
it is not possible to provide special education services until eligibility is
determined. This is done by a review of records and/or additional testing followed
by a meeting of the IEP Team members.
We in Shelby County Schools pride ourselves on working very hard to get students
enrolled in the appropriate special education programs as quickly as possible.
We assure
you that we will make every effort to assist you in this process.
What happens after I send the special
education records?
An appropriate professional reviews the records and makes a
determination as to whether the previously completed testing meets the standards
set forth by the State of Tennessee for identification of a disability. A brief
report is then compiled and the student's record is sent to the proposed school.
The school then contacts the family to arrange for an IEP Team meeting to discuss
the student's needs, develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP), and determine
placement.
If the records review results in a determination that the records are not current
or not adequate for state standards, the parent/guardian will be contacted to
arrange
additional testing.
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Accreditation
The Shelby County School District is a totally
accredited school district. Every school meets
the approved standards of the Tennessee State
Department of Education and the accreditation
standards of the Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools (SACS). Accreditation by SACS is
the highest level of approval available to
elementary, middle and secondary schools and
ensures continuous implementation of high standards
of quality education.
The Shelby County School District
was the first large district in Tennessee to
be accredited in its entirety by the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools. Comprehensive
Self-Evaluation studies are conducted by each
school every ten years; educational updates
are completed every school year. Each school's
comprehensive ten-year study is confirmed by
a committee which visits the school. << Top
of page
Extra-Curricular
Activities
Shelby County offers a wide variety of extra-curricular
activities at the various schools. Some examples
of groups in elementary schools are: Odyssey
of the Mind, and hands on science. Some examples
of groups in middle schools are: Beta Club,
Junior National Honor Society, Student Council,
Science of the Mind, Science Olympiad, MathCounts,
Geography Bee, Spelling Bee, Wordsmith, Newspaper,
and Yearbook to name just a few. Some examples
of groups in high schools are: National Honor
Society, Beta Club, Student Government, Key
Club, P.R.I.D.E., Fellowship of Christian Athletes,
Foreign Language clubs, Yearbook, Newspaper,
and wide spectrum of academic, vocational and
service clubs. The clubs offered at the different
schools will vary; please contact your area
school to see which clubs are available.
Shelby County Schools offer a wide variety of sport programs and team competitions.
School sponsored teams begin in the Middle School and continue through the
High School level. Middle School offers basketball, and cheerleading. High
School sport offerings for boys include football, soccer, basketball, baseball,
tennis, golf, cross country, track and wrestling. Girls sport offerings include
volleyball, soccer, golf, basketball, softball, cross county, tennis, and
track. Cheerleading and pom-pon squads are also a part of the wide range
of sports offered in Shelby County Schools. Please check with your area school
for the sports teams available.<< Top
of page
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