Per state and federal special education regulations, Child Development Services (CDS) is required to provide an annual public notice to parents of children birth-school age five who reside in the State of Maine regarding Child Find responsibilities. CDS is an Intermediate Educational Unit that provides both Early Intervention (birth through two years) and Free Appropriate Public Education (for ages three through school age five) under the supervision of the Maine Department of Education. CDS is required to conduct Child Find activities for children birth-school age five who may be eligible for special education services. "Child Find" refers to the process of locating, identifying and evaluating children with disabilities to ensure that they receive services to which they are entitled. Children who are suspected of having a disability may be referred for a possible evaluation to determine if they are eligible for early intervention/special education services. This notice shall inform parents throughout the State of Maine of the child identification activities and of the procedures followed to ensure confidentiality of information pertaining to children with disabilities. In addition to this public notice, CDS shall publish written information on our website at: [u]http://www.maine.gov/doe/cds/index.html[/u]
[font=font36821]Evaluation Process[/font]
CDS has procedures in place by which parents can request a screening and/or evaluation. For information about procedures applicable to your child, a parent can contact CDS at 1-877-770-8883 or at
[u]http://www.maine.gov/doe/cds/families/referrals/child-find.shtml[/u]
[font=font36821]Consent[/font]
CDS cannot proceed with an evaluation or with the initial provision of special education and related services without the written consent of the parents. For additional information related to consent, please refer to the Procedural Safeguards Notice which can be found at
[u]http://www.maine.gov/doe/specialed/laws/proceduralsafeguards/[/u] Once written parental consent is obtained, CDS will proceed with the evaluation process.
[font=font36821]Individualized Education Program Development[/font]
Once the evaluation process is completed, a team of qualified professionals and the parents determine whether the child is eligible. Based on the evaluation process, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team will meet, review the evaluation and other relevant data and make a determination if your child is eligible for special education and related services and if so, what the educational placement for these services will be.
Once the IEP Team develops the program and determines the educational placement, CDS staff will issue a "Written Notice" regarding determinations made with regards to your child's identification, evaluation, provisions of services or placement in special education or related services. Your written consent is required before initial services can be provided. A parent also has the right to revoke consent after initial placement.
[font=font36821]Confidentiality of Information[/font]
CDS maintains an educational record concerning children enrolled in special education services. All educational records are maintained with confidentiality. Your consent must be obtained before personally identifiable information is released, except as permitted under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). CDS must protect the confidentiality of personally identifiable information at collection, storage, disclosure, and destruction states. CDS must assume responsibility for ensuring the confidentiality of any personally identifiable information. CDS must maintain, for public inspection, a current listing of the names and positions of those employees within the agency who have access to personally identifiable information.
For additional information related to educational records, a parent can refer to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) at:
[u]https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html[/u].
This notice is only a summary of the rights and protections pertaining to children who are suspected or have disabilities. For more information, please see below:
[font=font36821]Child Development Services
877-770-8883
[u]http://www.maine.gov/doe/cds/index.html[/u][/font]
June 26, 2018
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