Special Education

Special Education Services and Referrals

Printable Flyer

We offer preschool-8th grade special education services for students who qualify in the following areas:

  • Academics (reading, writing and/or math)
  • Speech/language therapy
  • Occupational therapy
  • Social emotional/behavior
  • Cognitive
  • Adaptive

Child Find School-Age (Age 3 through 12th grade)

If you’re concerned about your school-age child’s educational progress and believe they may have a disability, you may use any of the following methods to refer your child for a special education evaluation:

  • PAPER FORM: Pick up a referral form from your school’s office, complete it, and return it to the building principal.
  • WRITTEN REQUEST: Referral forms are helpful to school staff but are not required. Any written school and medical records and information from parents, and decide whether to evaluate the student for special education eligibility. You will receive written notification of the district’s decision.

Timelines for Referral, Initial Evaluation, and Initial Individualized Education Program (IEP)

Students age 3 through 5 who are not yet enrolled in school may also participate in the upcoming Child Find Screening process held on Friday, March 17th from 9 am – 12 pm at McCleary PreSchool. Please see attached flyer for more information on the process and what to expect.

    Your Title Goes Here

    Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

    Child Find Screening

    Printable Flyer

    Do you have concerns about your child’s development?

    • A medical condition which is interfering with growth and/or learning
    • Hearing or vision problems
    • Difficulty being understood by people outside of the family
    • Has trouble keeping up with other children the same age
    • Demonstrates social-emotional difficulties that interfere with learning

    What is Child Find Screening?
    Screening is a free check of your child’s development (age 3-5) who reside in our district. If you family is living in a temporary situation, you may contact the district where you are staying to attend a screening.

    If your child is younger that 3, and you have concerns about their development please call Grays Harbor County South Sound Parent to Parent Network at (360) 637-8586

    What happens during a screening?
    During the screening your child may stack blocks, cut with scissors, draw, count, name colors, jump, and have fun! Following the screening a trained professional will talk with you about the results of the screening. You may be given home suggestions, referred for further testing, or be scheduled to have skills rechecked at a later date. The screening process usually take about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

    Where do I go for screening?
    During teh screen your child may stack blocks, cut with scissors, draw, count, name colors, jump, and have fun! Following a screening a trained professional will talk with you about the results of the screening. You may be given home suggestions, referred for further testing, or be scheduled to have skills rechecked at a later date. The screening process usually takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

    Where do I go for a screening?
    To schedule a screening please contact:

    Shawna Sturges
    McCleary School District
    611 S. Main St.
    McCleary, WA 98557
    (360) 495-3204

    Parent Resources

    Printable Rescources

    Special Education Acronyms and Definitions

    504 Plan: A 504 plan refers to section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The 504 plan highlights modifications necessary for a student to access the school environment. It is reviewed each year to ensure the plan is working.

    FAPE: Fre and Appropriate Public Education – FAPE is a part of IDEA that allows for special educcation students to have free modifications, accommodations, and support services that allow them to access and benefit from public education. Special education students are still responsible for any fees or materials that are required of the general education students.

    IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act – This is the national law that guides Special Education services.

    IEP: Individualized Education Program – This refers to the plan the team creates to assist a child to reach educational goals. it consists of specifc goals for the child in each area of need. The IEP is reviewed each year with the team.

    OT: Occupational Therapist – The OT may be a member of the IEP team if the child has significant difficulty with fine motor activities (activitites using hands and smaller controlled movements) that impact the students education.

    PT: Physical Therapist – The PT may be a member of the IEP team if the child has gross motor needs in order to improve participation and access to the school environment.

    Related Services: Related services refers to services that help the child to benefit from special education

    SLP: Speech and Language Pathologist – The SLP may be a member of the IEP team if the child has difficulty with language or speech that impact his education.

    Supplementary Aids and Services: These include aids, services, and other supports necessry to assist the child to participate in learning with peers.

    Website:

    Special Education Procedural Safeguards

    Washington Autism Alliance

    OSPI Guidance for Families

    McCleary Special Education Staff