Special Services

All responsible public agencies are required to locate, evaluate, and identify children with disabilities who are under the jurisdiction of the agency, regardless of the severity of the disability, including children attending private schools, children who live outside the district but are attending a private school within the district, highly mobile children, such as migrant and homeless children, children who are wards of the state, and children who are suspected of having a disability and in need of special education even though they are advancing from grade to grade. The Midway R-1 School District assures that it will provide a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) to all eligible children with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 under its jurisdiction. Disabilities include autism, deaf/blindness, emotional disorders, hearing impairment and deafness, mental retardation/intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairments, specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment/blindness and young child with a developmental delay. The Midway R-1 School District assures that it will provide information and referral services necessary to assist the State in the implementation of early intervention services for infants and toddlers eligible for the Missouri First Steps program.

The Midway R-1 School District assures that personally identifiable information collected, used, or maintained by the agency for the purposes of identification, evaluation, placement or provision of FAPE of children with disabilities may be inspected and/or reviewed by parents/guardians. Parents/guardians may request amendment to the educational record if the parent/guardian believes the record is inaccurate, misleading, or violates the privacy or other rights of their child. Parents have the right to file complaints with the U.S. Department of Education or the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education concerning alleged failures by the district to meet the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

The Midway R-1 School District has developed a Local Compliance Plan for the implementation of State Regulations for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This plan contains the agency’s policies and procedures regarding storage, disclosure to third parties, retention and destruction of personally identifiable information and the agency’s assurances that services are provided in compliance with the General Education Provision Act (GEPA).

The Compliance Plan may be reviewed at the Special Services office, 5801 E. State Rt. 2, Cleveland, MO 64734 any school day between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Each school building principal and building coordinator also has a copy of the Compliance Plan.

Persons desiring additional information are invited to call Hannah Newkirk, Director of Special Services, 816-250-2994, ext. 203.

This notice will be provided in native languages as appropriate.

Initial and/or Annual Written Notification to Use Public Funded Program Benefits or Insurance

Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) allows school districts to use specific government funded public program benefits to assist with costs associated with special education services. Amended federal regulations require the District to provide initial written notification, and annually thereafter, to the student’s parent/guardian before accessing the student’s or parent’s government funded public program benefits or insurance for billing purposes (i.e., Medicaid – MO HealthNet) for the first time on or after March 18, 2013 and prior to obtaining one-time written parental consent. Participation in MO HealthNet for Kids and/or MO HealthNet program is not required for any student to receive free appropriate public education (FAPE) under IDEA.

Pursuant to the requirements of State Law 162.997-999 RSMo, the State Board of Education is required to appoint a surrogate parent at such time as it becomes evident that a child with a disability does not have a parent or a person acting as a parent to participate in matters dealing with the provision of special education. For purposes of this requirement, the term may include the biological parent, a guardian, a person acting as a parent of a child including, but not limited to, a grandparent, a stepparent, or a foster parent with whom the child lives. The term does not include the State if the child is a ward of the State. The term does not include a person whose parental rights have been terminated. The local public school district is given the responsibility to determine when a child with a disability who requires special education and who resides in the District is without a parent. The District must notify the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education of the need to appoint a surrogate parent. Training for persons serving as surrogate parents will be provided by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the local public school district. If you are interested in volunteering to serve as a surrogate parent, more information can be obtained from the Director of Special Services in the local public school district.