Special Programs Frequently Asked Questions

Home-based is instruction that is designed, provided, and monitored by an APISD highly qualified staff member. Curriculum will be delivered via Google Classroom by the teacher and students will submit work online.

Home school is curriculum obtained (either tuition-based or free) by the parent/guardian. Home schooling requires that the parent or guardian deliver and monitor the instruction following the guidelines of the program they are participating in. APISD is not involved in any aspect of homeschooling.

Homebound instruction is only provided to students with extenuating medical circumstances documented by a licensed physician. Students who were not eligible for homebound instruction prior to the COVID-19 pandemic are unlikely to qualify for homebound instruction at this time since home-based instruction is offered.

Not exactly. You are still required to go through the registration process. If you have not registered your child for school and want to participate in home-based instruction, please contact your child’s campus to arrange to register. Your child must be registered to receive communication and services related to their education at Aransas Pass ISD.

Texas law requires you to provide an education for your student. If your child is not registered by the first day of school, August 24, 2020, they will be withdrawn administratively. Once they are withdrawn, you have 10 days to enroll them in another public school, private school, charter school or home school. If you have not, Aransas Pass ISD will proceed with documentation and in keeping with the truancy laws will file truancy paperwork with the local authorities.

Technology and connectivity options will be available to every student enrolled in Aransas Pass ISD. Alternative technology needs will be considered on an individual basis for students who receive special education services.

Speech, occupational therapy, and physical therapy will be provided through a virtual platform called PresenceLearning. Your therapist will be in touch with you to provide training on accessing and participating in live online related services.

Your campus special education case manager will call or email to let you know how to ask questions and access support for home-based learning.

Accommodations will be provided to students based on their IEPs and ARD paperwork. Many textbooks are available in audio format and if students receive oral administration of tests, their case manager will be arranging to make those recorded tests available to you.

The vision teacher will have the option to deliver real time instruction using PresenceLearning, but braille packets will still be available to VI students as well.

The ECSE teacher will be in contact with those parents to evaluate the needs of each child and provide appropriate instructional activities for your child. Technology options will vary for ECSE students due to the need to consider fine and gross motor skills and their individual IEP goals.

APISD complies with all the requirements of Child Find under IDEA including the right of any parent, teacher, or person with direct knowledge of a child to request an evaluation if they suspect the child could be a child with disabilities. Please contact your campus administrator if you suspect your child has a disability that requires specially designed instruction.

We have developed an evaluation protocol that will be followed for all students who will be tested. Our diagnosticians will be contacting the parents of those students individually and providing a copy of the safety protocols being implemented. From August to October all evaluations to be completed by educational diagnosticians will be conducted at our Kieberger campus by appointment only. Psychological evaluations will be performed by Dr. Gansle at her office in Portland following strict safety guidelines as well. Speech evaluations will be conducted either in person at Kieberger or virtually using PresenceLearning.

All ARDs will be held via Zoom through 2020. We will make a decision about ARDs by November 30, 2020. All required participants will attend these ARDs and all procedural requirements will be met. Beginning August 2020, participants will be asked to provide digital signatures at the end of the ARD verifying their agreement or disagreement and ARD paperwork will be doc shared in Frontline. ARD paperwork will be available to be mailed on parent request.

Child Find is a component of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) 2004 that requires school districts and charter schools to to identify, locate, and evaluation all children with disabilities residing in the State, regardless of the severity of their disabilities, and who are in need of special education and related services (34 CFR 300.111). Aransas Pass ISD complies with the Child Find obligation and as such, if you suspect your child might be a student with a disability who requires specially designed instruction, please contact Melanie Mize at 361-758-4200 x1401 or at mmize@apisd.org.