The Columbia Public Schools Special Services department provides staff, resources, and supports throughout the district depending on the needs of students in each building. The broad range of special education services and supports allows most of our children with disabilities to be served in the student's home school. In the past, special educators were an isolated system of support. Today, regular educators and special educators work together with parents to teach children with and without disabilities in a variety of settings in each school.

 

 

IDEA Public Notice 

All responsible public agencies are required to locate, evaluate, and identify children with disabilities who are under the jurisdiction of the agency, regardless of the severity of the disability, including children attending private schools, children who live outside the district but are attending a private school within the district, highly mobile children, such as migrant and homeless children, children who are wards of the state, and children who are suspected of having a disability and in need of special education even though they are advancing from grade to grade. The Columbia Public School district assures that it will provide a free, appropriate public education (F APE) to all eligible children with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 under its jurisdiction. Disabilities include autism, deaf/blindness, emotional disorders, hearing impairment and deafness, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairments, specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment/blindness and young child with a developmental delay.

The Columbia Public School district assures that it will provide information and referral services necessary to assist the State in the implementation of early intervention services for infants and toddlers eligible for the Missouri First Steps program. 

The Columbia Public School district assures that personally identifiable information collected, used, or maintained by the agency for the purposes of identification, evaluation, placement or provision of FAPE of children with disabilities may be inspected and/or reviewed by their parents/guardians. Parents/guardians may request amendment to the educational record if the parent/guardian believes the record is inaccurate, misleading, or violates the privacy or other rights of their child. Parents have the right to file complaints with the U.S. Department of Education or the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education concerning alleged failures by the district to meet the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

The Columbia Public School district has developed a Local Compliance Plan for the implementation of State Regulations for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This plan contains the agency's policies and procedures regarding storage, disclosure to third parties, retention and destruction of personally identifiable information and the agency's assurances that services are provided in compliance with the General Education Provision Act (GEPA). This plan may be reviewed at the Columbia Public Schools Aslin Administration Building at 1818 W. Worley St., Columbia, MO 65203 between the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

This notice will be provided in native languages as appropriate.

Contact Information: Alyse Monsees
Director of Special Services
1818 W. Worley St.
Columbia, MO 65203
(573) 214-3462
Rev. August 2017

 

 

504 PUBLIC NOTICE

The Columbia MO Public School District, as a recipient of federal financial assistance from the United States Department of Education and operates a public elementary or secondary education program and/or activity, is required to undertake to identify and locate every qualified person residing in the District who is not receiving a public education; and take appropriate steps to notify disabled persons and their parent or guardians of the District’s duty.

The Columbia MO Public School District assures it will provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to each qualified disabled person in the District’s jurisdiction regardless of the nature or severity of the person’s disability. For purposes of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the provision of an appropriate education is the provision of regular or special and related aids and services that (i) are designed to meet individual educational needs of disabled persons as adequately as the needs of nondisabled persons are met and (ii) are based on adherence to procedures that satisfy the requirements of the Section 504 federal regulations.

The Columbia MO Public School District has developed a 504 Procedures Manual for the implementation of federal regulations for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Subpart D. This Procedures Manual may be reviewed by contacting your student’s school or at the Special Services Office at 1818 West Worley St. 573-214-3463, by appointment. The District 504 Coordinator is Shae Collier.

This notice will be provided in native languages as appropriate.