SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENT HANDBOOK

Governor Wentworth Regional School District

Statement of Purpose Clarification of Disability Categories Special Education Programs in GWRSD Parental Rights General Definitions Referral sources Special Education Personnel in GWRSD LINKS to Local and State Resources Referral Process

Referral Process &emdash; the Role of the Multidisciplinary Team   The Special Education Evaluation/Placement Team always includes the child's parent or guardian as a valued member of the team. Evaluation and placement decisions are made by a group of persons each representing a different area of expertise (multidisciplinary team). Depending on the child's needs the team may be made up of a few people or several. Team members include the child's parent(s) or guardian, the person making the referral (often the classroom teacher), a special educator, and the team chairperson. The team may also include a speech/language pathologist, school nurse, occupational therapist, guidance counselor, or psychologist. A parent or guardian has the right to request other involved and appropriate people to attend the team meetings concerning the child. The Team receives and reviews each potential special education referral and determines the next step for that referral. The parent/guardian is involved at every step in the process, as is the team. No one person can make a decision regarding a child's evaluation, coding, or placement. There is a Multidisciplinary Team in each school, grades K-12, in the Governor Wentworth Regional School District (GWRSD) The contact person for each team is the Diagnostic Prescriptive Teacher (DPT) who serves as the chairperson of the multidisciplinary team. For referral of preschool children (ages 3-5), contact the Preschool Coordinator in the Superintendent's Office. (569-5167).   This basic process can take 45 days or more, some circumstances may require slightly different procedures.   return to the top of the page