Notice to Parents 

The Chartiers-Houston School District provides the following annual notice regarding child find responsibilities to parents and families residing within the School District in accordance with state and federal laws and regulations. School districts, intermediate units (IUs) and charter schools are required to conduct child find activities for children who may be eligible for services via the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) and 22 Pa. Code Chapter 14 as well as those who may be eligible for services via Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and 22 Pa. Code Chapter 15. For additional information related to special education and related services, parents may refer to the IDEA and its implementing regulations, Chapter 14, and the Basic Education Circulars relating to special education. For additional information related to Section 504/Chapter 15 services, the parent may refer to Section 504, Chapter 15, and the Basic Education Circular entitled Implementation of Chapter 15. Also, school districts are required to conduct child find activities for children who may be eligible for gifted services via 22 Pa. Code Chapter 16. For additional information regarding gifted services, the parent may refer to 22 Pa. Code Chapter 16. If a student is both gifted and eligible for special education, the procedures in IDEA and Chapter 14 shall take precedence.

This notice shall inform parents throughout the Chartiers-Houston School District, Intermediate Unit 1, and charter schools of the child identification activities and of the procedures followed to ensure confidentiality of information pertaining to students with disabilities and eligible young children. In addition to this public notice, the school district, intermediate unit, and charter schools shall publish written information in the handbook and on the web site Chartiers-Houston School District, PA. Children ages three through twenty-one can be eligible for special education programs and services. If parents believe that the child may be eligible for special education, the parent should contact the appropriate staff member identified at the end of this public notice. 

Identification activities are performed to find a child who is suspected of having a disability that would interfere with his or her learning unless special education programs and services are made available. These activities are sometimes called screening activities. The activities include: review of group data, conducting hearing and vision screening, assessment of student’s academic functioning, observation of the student displaying difficulty in behavior and determining the student’s response to attempted remediation. Input from parents is also an information source for identification. After a child is identified as a suspected child with a disability, he or she is evaluated, but is not evaluated before parents give permission for their child to be evaluated. 

The Chartiers-Houston School District will be providing ongoing screening services. If you wish to learn more, have questions, or believe your child may need to be identified, please contact your child’s school Principal. For further assistance, please contact the Student Support Services Office at 724-746-1400.

Children age three through the age of admission to first grade are also eligible if they have developmental delays and, as a result, need special education and related services. Developmental delay is defined as a child who is less than the age of beginners and at least 3 years of age and is considered to have a developmental delay when one of the following exists: (i) The child’s score, on a developmental assessment device, on an assessment instrument which yields a score in months, indicates that the child is delayed by 25% of the child’s chronological age in one or more developmental areas. (ii) The child is delayed in one or more of the developmental areas, as documented by test performance of 1.5 standard deviations below the mean on standardized tests. Developmental areas include cognitive, communicative, physical, social/emotional and self-help. For additional information you may contact the Intermediate Unit 1 Early Intervention Department at 724-938-3241.

The Child Find Mandate: What Does It Mean To You?

The Child Find Mandate: What Does It Mean to You? by Pamela Wright & Pete Wright, Esq.