Exceptional Children

Mission

The mission of the Exceptional Children Division is to assure that students with disabilities develop mentally, physically, emotionally, and socially through the provision of an appropriate individualized education in the least restrictive environment.

Eligibility

Within the Policies Governing Services for Children with Disabilities (Department of Public Instruction), are detailed procedures that outline the rules and regulations that NC public schools must follow for the delivery of special education services. Services are provided under the following areas of identification:

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (AU),
  • Deaf/Blindness,
  • Developmental Delay (DD),
  • Serious Emotional Disability (SE),
  • Hearing Impairment (HI),
  • Intellectual Disability (ID),
  • Multiple Disabilities (MD),
  • Other Health Impairment (OHI),
  • Orthopedic Impairment,
  • Specific Learning Disability (SLD),
  • Speech or Language Impairment (SLI),
  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI),
  • Visual Impairment including Blindness (VI).

Families New to Piedmont Community Charter School:

If you are new to PCCS and have a child who has been receiving special education services, contact Elizabeth Berkebile, EC Coordinator at 704-659-4808 ext 4645. Please leave a message and she will get back to you. Be prepared to provide documentation of your child’s special needs (such as a copy of the student’s Individual Education Plan). When school is not in session, you may contact:

Exceptional Children (EC) Department, P.O. Box 3706 Gastonia NC 28054

Elementary Phone 704-853-2428

Middle School Phone 704-349-4640

High School  Phone- 704-271-2411

If you are concerned your child might be in need of special education and/or related services, you should contact the EC Department.

Exceptional Children’s Coordinator: Elizabeth Berkebile

Exceptional Children’s Program Specialist : Nancy Revels

Public Notice of Records Destruction

 

Piedmont Community Charter School’s Exceptional Children’s Office is hereby notifying the public of the intent to destroy confidential special education records. The public is duly notified that the former student or legal guardian of said student may need these records in the future for social security purposes, legal defense or other reasons.

Former students (or their legal guardians) born in 1995 (or before) who received special education services while enrolled in Piedmont Community Charter School may request a copy of the confidential special education file. A copy of the file may be requested by the former student or legal guardian by notifying the Exceptional Children’s Program Coordinator, Elizabeth Berkebile. Picture identification is required before records will be released to anyone. The person receiving the records will be asked to sign a form documenting receipt of the records.

To request records contact Elizabeth Berkebile at the middle school campus  2970 South New Hope Rd. Gastonia, NC 28056.

All confidential special education records of persons born before January 1, 1996 WILL be destroyed on or immediately after June 12, 2023.

 

Parent Resources

Project Child Find

What is Project Child Find?

An effort coordinated by your local school system and the Exceptional Children Division, State Department of Public Instruction, to:

  • Locate and identify children and youth ages birth through 21 with disabilities who are in need of special education and related services.
  • Inform parents and/or guardians of the services available from their local school system and other state and community agencies.

Who are the Children?

Children and youth who have been diagnosed or are suspected to have intellectual, physical, or emotional disabilities and are unable to benefit from a regular school program without special assistance.

What help is available?

  • A complete evaluation and, if appropriate,
  • An Individualized Education Program for children with a disability beginning at age three,
  • An Individual Family Service Plan for each child with a disability if applicable
  • A referral to other agencies when needed.

For further information regarding Child Find or if you suspect your student may have a disability and need special education and/or related services, please contact: Elizabeth Berkebile, EC Program Coordinator – [email protected] – 704-659-4808 ext 4314

Project Child Find-Spanish

Parent’s Rights & Responsibilities in Special Education: NC Notice of Procedural Safeguards

This handbook is designed to support families with the understanding of the rights and responsibilities specific to the special education process. Acronyms and terms often used in special education and resources can be found in the appendices. If, at any time, you suspect your student may have a disability and is in need of special education and/or related services, you may request an evaluation, in writing, to your student’s school principal, teacher, or Elizabeth Berkebile, EC Program Coordinator.

Derechos Y Responsabilidades de los Padres de Familia

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Exceptional Children Division

The mission of the Exceptional Children Division is to ensure that students with disabilities develop intellectually, physically, emotionally, and vocationally through the provision of an appropriate individualized program in the least restrictive environment.

Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) for Families

What is NC MTSS?

Family engagement within an MTSS is defined as the active and meaningful partnerships that educators build and maintain with students’ families for the purpose of supporting student learning.  It embodies the idea that all parties are equally invested in the student’s educational experience and all parties bring knowledge and skills of equal value to the table to work together.

This linked infographic is intended to support NC families in understanding what NC educators are referring to when they are talking about an MTSS.

What is “support”?

NC schools are implementing an MTSS may talk about support for students.  To further define that support, NC organizes these supports around the instruction, the curriculum, and the environment.

This linked infographic is intended to promote understanding and conversations around how school teams are providing these supports to all, some, and a few students based on needs.

NC Policies Governing Services for Children with Disabilities

NC Parent Resources

National Resources for Children with Disabilities

EC Assistance Center

Parents’ Rights

The special education process is a collaboration between families and PCCS. It is important for parents of children with disabilities to understand their rights throughout this process.

Procedural Safeguards: Handbook on Parents’ Rights

As stated in the Procedural Safeguards: Handbook on Parents’ Rights, Public Schools of North Carolina, Exceptional Children Division, “The IDEA requires schools to provide parents of a child with a disability a notice containing a full explanation of the procedural safeguards (legal rights) available under the IDEA and the federal regulations.” Additional information can be found at the US Department of Education’s searchable website at http://idea.ed.gov/.

Advocates and Attorneys

Special Education Services believes that collaboration between district staff and parents is the best way to make decisions related to the development of a student’s IEP. From time to time, parents may wish to bring a representative to an IEP meeting, such as an advocate or attorney. If you need additional information about this, please contact Elizabeth Berkebile, EC Coordinator.

Dispute Resolution

Any person who has a concern about the education of a student with a disability can raise the issue in one of several ways. For example, it is always appropriate to discuss the matter with the student’s teacher or the school administrator (Holly White, Ernie Bridges, or Jennifer Purdee. Also, a person may contact the Coordinator of Exceptional Children Program, Elizabeth Berkebile, to discuss their concerns and to work towards a resolution. In additional, any person may contact the Department of Public Instruction Exceptional Children’s Division for disputes concerning a student with a disability.

Information for dispute resolutions can be found at https://ec.ncpublicschools.gov/parent-resources/dispute-resolution/due-process-hearings The consultants for dispute resolution work with parents, traditional local educational agencies, charter schools, state operated programs and other individuals to resolve disputes. They provide information about facilitated IEP meetings, mediation, formal written complaints and due process hearings. They also investigate formal written complaints.

504 Rehabilitation Act

PARENTAL RIGHTS REGARDING SECTION 504 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973

PCCS is committed to complying with federal law and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which ensures a free and appropriate education to each student with a disability. Under the Act, anyone who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity may be considered handicapped. The school has responsibilities to identify, evaluate and provide appropriate education services for all students eligible as having a disability under Section 504. Parents are entitled to be fully informed of decisions regarding their child’s education and to be advised of those rights to challenge any of the decisions.

Parents have a right to:

Receive notification that your child is being evaluated and identified as handicapped.

Receive notification that an educational plan is being developed.

Have evaluation and educational decisions made from a variety of information sources and by persons who know your child, the evaluation data and placement options.

Examine all relevant records.

Have your child receive a free and appropriate public education which includes being educated with non-handicapped students to the maximum extent appropriate and receiving reasonable accommodation in school and school-related activities.

Have periodic reevaluations and an evaluation prior to any significant change in educational program.

Have an informal conference with the school principal and the multi-disciplinary team and, if your concerns are not addressed, you may request an impartial hearing.

Request an impartial formal hearing if there is disagreement related to actions regarding your child’s identification, evaluation, educational program or placement and be represented by counsel.

Please contact the school for questions or concerns regarding your child’s education.

For additional information regarding Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, contact Dawn Whitworth, 504 Coordinator at 704-659-4808