Family Resources

Welcome to PGCPS Student Services Family Resource Page!

Welcome to the Prince George County Public Schools Student Services website. This department includes Special Education, Section 504, Early Childhood Special Education, Homebound, and Homeschooling. Prince George maintains a commitment to providing the full continuum of special education and pupil personnel services that ensure access to and participation in programs and activities that are age appropriate and meet the needs of all students with identified disabilities.

Prince George County Public Schools adheres to both the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004) and the Virginia State Regulations Governing Special Education Programs for Students with Disabilities when establishing programs and making decisions that will guide the educational path for students with disabilities.

Prince George commits to:

Assisting students to achieve their fullest potential, resulting in the reduction of the achievement gap between students with disabilities and non-disabled peers.
Enhancing the math, written language, and literacy skills of all students through research-based interventions.
Embracing an inclusive culture where students are provided instruction in general education settings, in their home schools, with the supports needed for achievement, to the greatest extent possible.
Ensuring excellence in curriculum and instruction that serves the needs of all students through collaboration between special education leaders and general education instructional leaders.
Preparing students to transition to sustainable competitive employment, further education and/or training.
Effectively supporting the improved achievement of each student through collaboration among families, school staff, and the community.

Initial Referrals for Special Education Services

The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) requires local public school divisions to “identify, locate, and evaluate every child who may have a disability requiring special education services.” This is called “Child Find.”

If your child is between 2 and 21 and is suspected of having a disability that requires special education services (specially designed instruction), contact your assigned school administrator or designee to request a Referral for Evaluation form. If your child is not in a school yet, contact our School Board Office to find out the name of your home school. Then, call the school to discuss your concerns with the principal or designee. The request for evaluation can be made orally, in writing, or using electronic communication. It can come from any source or individual (parent, guardian, teacher, school-based team, physician, etc.) involved in the care of your child. The Referral for Evaluation request must include:

Name of the referring source (parent, guardian, teacher, school-based team, physician, etc.)
Date
A description of the concerns
Information about any strategies attempted or efforts that have been made to address the concerns

The assigned school will review the information provided about your child and respond in one of three ways:

Decline the initial Referral for Evaluation
Refer your child to the School-Based Intervention Team (SBIT) to review and screen for a full evaluation, or
Begin the initial full evaluation process

If the school division declines evaluation, it must inform you in writing of the refusal. This documentation is called Prior Written Notice. If you do not agree with the decision of refusal to evaluate, parents/guardians have the right to Due Process. Filing a complain with the Virginia Department of Education and/or requesting mediation is also a right. For more information on your options, please see “Dispute Resolution.”

Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA)

Parents play an important role in the education of their children, especially parents of children who are identified as having disabilities. Prince George County Schools Student Services is dedicated to providing all children with appropriate educational services.

The Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) guarantees a free appropriate public education to all eligible children with disabilities. The steps in the special education process include:

Identification and referral
Evaluation
Determination of eligibility
Development of an individualized education program (IEP) and determination of services
Reevaluation

There are timelines schools must follow for each step. Timelines help to prevent any delay. Procedural safeguards, which are rights given to the parents of a child with a disability and the child upon reaching the age of majority (age 18), ensure that the child is provided a free appropriate public education according to the Federal and State rules. The services and placement of students with disabilities who need special education, are developed through an IEP, which is the responsibility of local public school divisions. The Federal and State definition of special education and specially designed instruction are:

"Special education" means specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parent(s), to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, including instruction conducted in a classroom, in the home, in hospitals, in institutions, and in other settings and instruction in physical education. The term includes each of the following if it meets the requirements of the definition of special education: (§ 22.1-213 of the Code of Virginia; 34 CFR 300.39)

Speech-language pathology services or any other related service, if the service is considered special education rather than a related service under state standards;
Vocational education; and
Travel training.

"Specially designed instruction" means adapting, as appropriate to the needs of an eligible child, the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction: (34 CFR 300.39(b)(3))

To address the unique needs of the child that result from the child's disability; and
To ensure access of the child to the general curriculum, so that the child can meet the educational standards that apply to all children within the jurisdiction of the local educational agency.

VDOE SPECIAL EDUCATION