Policy 7650

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
7650 IDENTIFICATION AND REGISTER OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES  (CHILD FIND)


The District will locate, identify, and evaluate all students with disabilities who reside within its boundaries, including homeless children, children who are wards of the state, home-schooled children, and children attending private schools or charter schools. Further, it is the policy of the Board to conduct a census in order to locate and identify all children with disabilities within the District under the age of 21, including those children as described above, and to establish a register of those students entitled to attend school or receive preschool services.

The Committee on Special Education (CSE) or Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) will maintain and annually revise the register of these students and others referred to the committee as possibly having a disability, as appropriate. In addition, census data will be reported by October 1 to the CSE or CPSE as appropriate.

The District understands that its Child Find obligations have been expanded to include notification to every parent or person in parental relation, upon enrollment of their child in the District, of their rights regarding referral and evaluation for the purposes of special education services or programs in accordance with applicable federal and state laws. The notification will contain the name and contact information for the chairperson of the District's CSE or other individual who is charged with processing referrals to the committee in the District. The District may, in its discretion, provide notice by directing parents or persons in parental relation to obtain information located on the State Education Department's website relating to a parent's guide to special education in New York State for children ages three through 21.

Any student suspected of having a disability should be referred to the applicable CSE or CPSE for evaluation and possible identification as a student with a disability.

Nonpublic School Students with Disabilities Who Are Parentally Placed

If the District boundaries encompass a nonpublic school, the District, as the district of location, must develop and implement methods to identify, locate, and ensure the identification and evaluation of students with disabilities who have been, or are going to be, parentally placed in the nonpublic school.

The child find activities must be similar to those for students with disabilities in public schools and must be completed in a time period comparable to that for other students attending public schools in the District.

As the district of location, the District must also consult with the appropriate representatives of the nonpublic schools and parents of parentally placed nonpublic school students to determine an accurate count of students with disabilities attending those schools and receiving special education services.

These requirements only pertain to students with disabilities parentally placed in elementary and secondary nonpublic schools, not to parental placements of preschool children with disabilities in private day care or preschool programs; or to CSE placements of students with disabilities in approved private schools, Special Act School Districts, state-supported or state-operated schools; or to charter schools. 


Policy References:

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 USC § 1400 et seq.
34 CFR Part 300
Education Law §§ 3240-3242, 3602-c(2)(a), 4401-a, 4402, 4404, 4405 and 4410-6
8 NYCRR §§ 200.2(a) and 200.4 

NOTE:  Refer also to 
Policy 7130 - Entitlement to Attend - Age and Residency
Policy 7140 - School Census



Adopted: 6/22/99
Revised: 9/6/22

Policy 7650