Worth School District 127 offers a wide spectrum of specialized programs for students ages three through 15 years. Special education instructional programs, resource programs, and related services shall range along a continuum based on the nature and degree of the intervention (23 Ill. Admin. Code 226.115). Special education is instruction and related services provided by special education personnel or by a general education program that has been modified through the use of special education support services, supplementary aids/interventions, or other special programming.
On a rare occasion, children have more severe and profound educational needs. The district relies on private placement options, for special education programming for children with severe and profound needs. There are certain complex disabilities that require high levels of instructional support. These external programs are for children who have these intense instructional needs.
Services for students who meet requirements in compliance with the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are available at all three schools in the district, delivered in a variety of formats, designed to best suit the needs of each individual learner. Services include, but are not limited to, Early Childhood Instruction, PreK, Speech, and classroom services for students with an Individual Education Plan (IEP). The district is committed to providing services in the least restricted environment which enables our students to benefit from the general education curriculum as much as possible.
Support services staff works collaboratively with students, parents, school personnel and general education teachers to address the student’s individual needs. Once a student is found eligible for special education and/or related services, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is developed to identify the appropriate services for the student. Parents receive updates on their child’s progress on their IEP goals each trimester.
Worth School District 127 has a full scope of services including instructional services, social work, speech therapy, and related services at all age levels. The district is also a member of the Eisenhower Cooperative, a special education cooperative which provide special services for our students who may need support in the following areas:
Occupational Therapy
Physical Therapy
Assistive Technology
Vision / Hearing Itinerant Support
Students with disabilities who do not qualify for an individualized education program, as required by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and implementing provisions of the School Code, may qualify for services under Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 if the child (i) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, (ii) has a record of a physical or mental impairment, or (iii) is regarded as having a physical or mental impairment.
The Special Education Department is headed by Dr. Sinèad Chambers. Her assistant is Mrs. Nermine Kulafovsky. Please see the staff listing below and contact information for each teacher
Anna Sullivan - WJH
Kevin Carmody - WJH
Tina Ogrodnik -WJH
Lori Stage - WJH
Kristina Cozzolino - WE
Lisa Strzempa - WE
Abby Hill - WE
Heather Koch - WE
Megan Heywood - WE
Amane Sbitan - WE - EC
Leah Schissler - WW
Nancy Giblin - WW
Catherine Wilson - W
Each school district is responsible for actively locating, identifying and evaluating all children with disabilities who live within the district boundaries, are between the ages of birth and 21, and may be eligible for special education and related services. The local school district is not required to actually conduct the evaluations for children birth through 2 years of age, but must ensure that they are carried out at no cost to the parent. All school districts are required to have written procedures for child find activities for all school children, including those attending private, charter, and/or religiously affiliated schools. These procedures must describe activities for:
annual screening of children under the age of five to identify those who may need early
intervention or special education services to maintain satisfactory educational performance;
ongoing review of all children in regular education classes;
ongoing coordination with early intervention programs; and
coordination and consultation with nonpublic schools located within the district.
Screening is the process of reviewing all children in a given group with a set of criteria for the purpose of identifying certain individuals for evaluations who may be in need of special education. One purpose of screening is to locate children, birth through age 21, who may need special education services to maintain satisfactory educational performance. No child can be determined eligible to receive special education and related services based only on the results of a screening procedure.
Screening is different from evaluation. Screening means reviewing all children in a given group (all kindergartners, all students who are new to the school district, all 3-year-old children in the community, etc.). It is not specific to an individual child. All children in the group must be screened with the same assessment process. Screening does not involve administration of assessment instruments which would be used in an evaluation.
The district must inform the public of the process for conducting group screening through school handbooks, newsletters, child find activities, letters, or similar methods. Written parent/guardian permission is not required for this type of screening. Screening results should be shared with the parents/guardians. Screening is done only to determine those students in need of or not in need of an evaluation. When a student is identified through screening as needing to be referred for evaluation, the date of the decision to initiate an evaluation is the date that begins the 60-school-day process as described in the Evaluation section that follows.
*School districts are required by public health to conduct annual vision and hearing screening of all students, including those with disabilities.
Source: ISBE. 2001. A Parents’ Guide: The Educational Rights of Students with Disabilities
Private/Parochial School and Home-Schooled Participation: Responses to Requirements Concerning Students Enrolled In Private/Parochial and Home-Schooled Participation
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004) requires that each local educational agency (LEA) conduct child find activities, determine the proportionate share of Federal Part B funds, and provide equitable services to parentally-placed private school children with disabilities who attend private schools located in the LEA without regard to where the children reside.
Under IDEA 2004, parentally placed private school students with disabilities are entitled to receive special education and related services from the school district in which the private school is located, without regard to where the child resides. The regular IEP form and process will continue to be used to determine eligibility. The difference comes in the development of the student’s educational program. Each school district is required to devote a “proportionate share” of its Federal special education funds to the actual provision of services to students with disabilities enrolled in private schools (see chart).
As part of that overall obligation, the district will include parents of known home school students in the Timely and Meaningful Consultation (TMC) process. As stated in the supplemental guidance from April 2006, the district will provide the same written notice that is provided to private school parents to the known parents of home schoolers within the district. Also, in order to ensure the widest possible participation of such parents in the TMC process, the district will place an advertisement in the local publication of general circulation that provides notice to the public of the TMC meeting.
Oak Lawn Hometown School District 123 will allocate the proportionate share among all of the private/parochial schools within the district’s attendance zone. In the event the apportioned funds are depleted during the current fiscal year, School District 123 will subsidize the monies needed to service those students who are residents of Oak Lawn Hometown School District 123.
Worth School District 127 has specific procedures for actively identifying, locating and evaluating children who might need special education and related services. These procedures describe activities for:
Identifying, locating and evaluating children with known or suspected disabilities
Ongoing coordination with early intervention programs to identify children from birth through two years of age who have or are suspected of having disabilities, in order to ensure provision of services in accordance with applicable timelines;
Annual screening of children under age 5 in order to identify those who may need early intervention or special education and related services;
Hearing and vision screening at regular intervals during the child’s school career and annual hearing and vision screening of all special education students;
Ongoing review of each child’s performance and progress by teachers and other professional personnel, in order to refer those children who exhibit problems which interfere with their education progress and/or their adjustment to the educational setting, suggesting that they may be eligible for special education and related services; and
Coordination and consultation with non-public schools located within the district that results in child find activities comparable to those affecting students in the public schools
The new provisions in IDEA 2004, unlike prior revisions of the act, create an obligation for local school districts to conduct Child Find for each student attending private elementary and secondary schools within the district, regardless of the students’ residency within the district. This, of course, runs contrary to existing state provisions that premise such duties solely on the residency of the students. Therefore, in an effort to comply with the requirements of IDEA 2004 and our existing state provisions, we are recommending that Child Find be undertaken in the following manner:
In FY07, all aspects of Child Find became the responsibility of the serving district. Each local school district shall be expected to conduct those activities (Child Find) necessary to identify those students who may require an initial case study evaluation for all students who attend private school within the boundaries of the local school district.
When the serving district identifies a student who requires a referral for an initial case study evaluation, the student will be evaluated by the serving district. In the event the student is a resident of a district other than the serving district, the district of residence shall promptly contact the serving district. The district of residence shall be expected to forward any additional information, if known, on the student to the serving district.
The serving district shall be expected to conduct all required procedures associated with the initial case study evaluation. The serving district shall be expected to complete the evaluation with timelines prescribed by our current Illinois Administrative Code provisions pertaining to case study evaluations. Obtaining written parental consent for the evaluation shall be the primary responsibility of the district of residence.
Upon completion of the evaluation, the serving district shall be responsible for convening an eligibility conference to determine the student’s eligibility for special education and related services, including the provision of appropriate notification of the conference to the parents. When scheduling the conference, the evaluating district/serving district shall be expected to extend an invitation to officials of the district of residence and the private/parochial school.
In the event the consensus of the eligibility conference attendees is to declare the student eligible for special education and related services, the district in which the student currently attends school will be expected to develop a services plan, as appropriate, in accordance with the district’s overall plan or policy for ensuring equitable participation of private elementary and secondary school students.
Public Act 102-0057 (previously HB 290) requires ISBE, through school districts, to provide parents and guardians of students with IEPs a copy of the Department of Human Service’s guide “Understanding PUNS: A Guide to Prioritization for Urgency of Need for Services” at the student’s annual IEP review meeting. This legislation became effective on July 9, 2021.
Please note that if parents would like additional information or resources relating to PUNS please contact the district’s trained PUNS personnel:
Dr. Sinéad Chambers, Director of Student Services
(708) 671-3909
Miss Bree Bosco, Special Education Instructional Coach
Please contact Dr. Maureen Eichstaedt, Assistant Director of Student Services (708) 671-5830 mmeichstaedt@worthschools.org if you would like translation support in accessing this information.
يرجى الاتصال بالدكتورة مورين إيتشستادت، مساعد مدير خدمات الطلاب (708) 671-5830 mmeichstaedt@worthschools.org
إذا كنت ترغب في دعم الترجمة للوصول إلى هذه المعلومات.
Comuníquese con la Dra. Maureen Eichstaedt, subdirectora de servicios estudiantiles (708) 671-5830 mmeichstaedt@worthschools.orgsi desea ayuda de traducción para acceder a esta información.
Prosimy o kontakt z dr Maureen Eichstaedt, zastępcą dyrektora ds. obsługi studentów (708) 671-5830 mmeichstaedt@worthschools.org jeśli chcesz uzyskać wsparcie w zakresie tłumaczenia w dostępie do tych informacji.