Exceptional Education
This website is intended as a guide for the key components of TST BOCES' Exceptional Education special education offerings; what we believe, what that means and what you need to do with it. There are a lot of pieces that come together to serve our students.
We hope that those pieces are unpacked and explained here.
Federal law guarantees the right to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to kids with disabilities. That can include kids with learning and thinking differences.
FAPE is a powerful legal right for students. Knowing what it covers can help parents and caregivers advocate for the services and supports their kids need. It can also help schools and families partner with each other.
The right to FAPE comes from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
What we offer is an option along the continuum of special education services for school-age students with disabilities. This array of services to meet an individual student's needs includes:
o consultant teacher services (direct and/or indirect);
o resource room services;
o related services;
o integrated co-teaching services; and
➽ special class. (Exceptional Education classes are this level of placement - one of the most restrictive settings for students with disabilities. )
The continuum of placement options in NYS includes: public schools, boards of cooperative educational services (BOCES), private approved day and residential schools and home and hospital instruction.
Image from Cambridge Public Schools
LRE refers to the extent special education services are provided to a student in a setting with the student's nondisabled peers and as close to the student's home as possible. The continuum of services identifies different service delivery models to provide specially designed instruction to a student with a disability. Some of the services such as consultant teacher and integrated co-teaching services are directly designed to support the student in his/her general education class. Others may or may not be provided in settings with nondisabled peers, depending on the needs of the student.
Districts have a responsibility to meet student needs and address student goals and accommodations with the least restrictive nature possible. To whatever extent possible, all students, regardless of ability or disability should have access to public education that is the same or equal to that of their grade level peers.
The Individual Education Plan (IEP) is a legal document that is finalized by each student’s Committee on Special Education (CSE) in their own home school district. BOCES staff members have the professional responsibility to provide each student’s CSE with thorough and regular progress monitoring as well as recommendations for the IEP. However it is the school district’s CSE who has the final responsibility and authority for developing and implementing the IEP.
BOCES has the responsibility for fully and carefully implementing each student’s finalized IEP and for communicating with the student’s school district when an IEP needs to be reviewed. The process for this is through the submission of a requested review form located in each principal’s office. All communication directly with the district or CSE chair should come from the principal or their secretary.
Instructional supervisors are responsible for program oversight including monitoring and assuring that staff are properly implementing student’s IEPs, serving as the focal point of communication and ensuring that all policies and regulations are being met.
Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.
FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records
Schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student's education record.
Digital Confidentiality
With the influx of social media as a way to provide instruction and stay connected to families within the educational context, there is a significant shift to the use of digital technology to instruct and communicate. The requirements of confidentiality extend equally to the application of digital confidentiality. The sharing of specific student information on social media, with those not associated with the students IEP, information used inappropriately, information or digital images used without permission of the parties involved, etc. are all strictly prohibited. Parents are required to authorize the use of students’ photography and video at the beginning of the school year. Staff are also required to sign an Acceptable Use Policy regarding the internet at the beginning of each school year.
Other helpful tips to protect yourself and students include the following:
Be very cautious with whom you become friends social media sites.
Be very conscious of what you share, post, and comment about on ALL social media platforms. NO IDENTIFYING STUDENT INFORMATION SHOULD BE POSTED FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS!
When taking photographs or video within the educational setting, be aware of the background images. Know who in the classroom can and cannot have pictures or digital media images recorded and avoid getting those in the background of any digital product.
Be conscious of what staff are doing in the background of any digital images. Be sure the background images are appropriate and as much as possible filtered out to just show the photo/video subject being captured.
Review all digital images carefully before posting to any social media platform that will become public domain.