Parent Resources
Families Together is an advocacy group that encourages, educates and empowers families that include childre/youth who have disabities or special health care needs. They provide high quality information and support for families who are navigating school services, health care, and community resources across the state of Kansas.
Families Together, Inc. is the Kansas Parent Training and Information (PTI) and Family-to-Family Health Information (F2F) Center.
The Kansas Department for Children and Families are available to assist with child care and child support, employment and education and training, food and cash assistance, support for youth who have experienced foster care and more. Availability of services may be subject to eligibility. Application for services can be completed using the Self-Service Portal.
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services empowers Kansans with disabilities to become gainfully employed and self-sufficient
Services for people who are Blind or Visually Impaired include independent living services (age 55 and older) and Business Enterprise Program
Centers for Independent Living (CILs) include advocacy, independent living skills training, peer support and information/referral
Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (KCDHH) offer information, advocacy and technical assistance
Disability Determination Services (DDS) determines disability status for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claims filed in Kansas
Family Crisis Response Hotline
Educational Records
Both state and federal laws concerning the education of children with exceptionalities inlcude guidelines for maintaining educational records in a confidential manner, for allowing legal education decision-makers to review records, to obtain records, to change records, and to destroy educaitonal records that are no longer needed to provide educational services. 34 CFR 300.573, K.A.R. 91-40-50(c), (d)
Records Request
To receive a copy or request the transfer of you or your child's special education records, please contact Chery Davis at cdavis@usd405.com or Patty Myers at pmyers@usd405.com or at (620) 257-5196.
Test Protocols
Some individualized testing involves the use of test protocols. These documents usually include the test questions or stimuli and the student's answers or responses. Protocols also may include the correct answers, norm tables (scoring tables), scoring sheets, and examiner's notes. Legal education decision-makers have a right to review these protocols with the person who administered the assessment. To ensure test security as well as to follow copyright laws, no parts of these protocols may be reproduced in any way. When this information is no longer needed to provide special education and related services to a student, the protocols will be destroyed. Protocols will be maintained until a comprehensive re-evaluation has been completed and a new IEP developed based on such.
Also, protocols used to record answers for tests during an earlier evaluation will be destroyed after completion and a new IEP is developed based on that new evaluation.
Records Maintained After Graduation
The special education records of each student are maintained by Rice County Special Services Cooperative at 800 S Workman Ave, Lyons, KS 67554. These records are kept for a period of five years after completion of the student's program or the student's graduation from high school. These reocrds may include such information as permission for the student to have received special education services, evaluation reports, Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), etc. These records may be needed by the student or legal education decision-maker(s) at some future date for social security benefits or other purposes.
If the eligible 18-year-old student (or a studnet under 18 who is married or declared emancipated by the courts) or the student's guardian if the student is under 18 or if the student has reached 18 years of age and has been legally adjudicated to be an incapacitated person would like any of these records prior to that time, please contact Cheryl Davis at cdavis@usd405.com or Patty Myers at pmyers@usd405.com or at (620) 257-5196. At the end of the five years after program completion or graduation, these records will be destroyed.
Public Notice Regarding Destruction of Records
This notification is to inform the public that Rice County Special Services Cooperative intends to destroy special education records that are no longer needed and are not considered permanent records that are required to be maintained. Special education records will be destroyed after vive years following program completion or graduation from high school if the records have not been picked up by the student or the student's legal education decision-maker prior to that time.
Please contact Rice County Special Services Cooperative by May 31st of the fifth year following exit with your request at (620) 257-5196.
Individuals with Disability Education Act
Reauthorized by Congress and signed into law in December 2004, the federal Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA-04) guides all special education practices in the United States. IDEA-04 mandates that each student identified as eligible for special education services receive a "free and appropriate public education" in the "least restrictive environment" and be afford "due process rights" as delineated in the legislation.
RCSSC uses compliant practices as described in the Kansas Special Education Process Handbook that is published by the Kansas State Department of Education, which is available online.
Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
The Individualized Education Program, or IEP, describes the special education services a student will receive from RCSSC. Written by an IEP team, including the parents and the student, if appropriate, the IEP includes information designed to communicate to the school and the Legal Education Decision Maker(s) a plan for delivering and measuring student growth toward IEP goals.
The IEP is reviewed with the Legal Educaiton Decision Maker(s) at least annually.
Parent Guide to Special Education (KSDE)