Student Services

Special Education Services & Section 504

Director of Student Services: Carmen DiFrangia, M.Ed.

The Office of the Director of Student Services oversees programs and services for students with disabilities identified under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and for students eligible under Section 504. This office also collaborates with the Intervention Assistance Teams to provide a variety of interventions for students at varying levels of performance.

Special Education:

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that guarantees children and youth with disabilities a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). The South Range Local School District provides a continuum of special education programs and services for students from their 3rd birthday through their 22nd birthday. The district is committed to providing FAPE to all students identified with a disability.

Child Find is the process of identifying, locating, and evaluating all children ages 3–21 who may have a disability and need special education and related services. Through Child Find, the district seeks to identify all children within the South Range Local School District—including those attending public or non-public schools, as well as children who are homeless or wards of the state—who may require special education and related services.

A child with a disability may have one or more of the following: a cognitive disability (e.g., intellectual disability), hearing impairment (including deafness), visual impairment (including blindness), speech or language impairment, emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairment, specific learning disability, deaf-blindness, developmental delay, or multiple disabilities.

If you have or know of a child up to 21 years of age who has, or is suspected of having, a disability, please contact:

Carmen DiFrangia
📧 carmen.difrangia@southrange.org
📞 330-549-4078 ext. 39223

Section 504:

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability in schools receiving federal funding. The law states:

“No otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall, solely by reason of his/her disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Because the South Range Local School District receives federal funding, its administrators and staff are required to provide eligible students with physical and/or mental impairments equal access to all services, programs, and activities offered by the district. Unlike IDEA, Section 504 is not a special education statute but a civil rights statute. Students with a diagnosed medical condition or impairment may qualify for accommodations under Section 504.

If you would like to make a Section 504 referral or have further questions, please contact your child’s school counselor or:

Carmen DiFrangia
📧 carmen.difrangia@southrange.org
📞 330-549-4078 ext. 39223

Other Resources:

• Ohio Procedural Safeguards: A Guide to Parent Rights in Special Education

• IDEAs that Work: Preparing Children and Youth with Disabilities for Success: https://ccrs.osepideasthatwork.org/

• State Support Team (Families Homepage): https://www.sstr5.org/Families.aspx

• Section 504: Rights Under Section 504

• Mahoning County Board of Developmental Disabilities: https://www.mahoningdd.org/

• Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD): https://ood.ohio.gov/