Director of Special Education
Special Education
Welcome to the Special Education Department
We understand that navigating the world of special education can be overwhelming. With so many rules, regulations, forms, and unfamiliar terminology, it’s easy to feel unsure about where to start or what steps to take.
Our goal is to support you and provide clear answers, helpful resources, and ongoing guidance to make your experience a positive one. We are here to work with you as partners in your child’s education.
If you ever have questions about the services your child is receiving or if you believe your child may need support, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re always happy to assist you.
Glendale School District is committed to identifying and supporting school-age students who need special education services. We use a variety of procedures to screen, identify, and evaluate the specific needs of students who may require specialized programs or services.
Routine Screenings
The district conducts regular screenings to help identify students’ needs:
Hearing: Screened in kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 7th, and 11th grades.
Vision: Screened in every grade.
Speech and Language: Screened for all students entering kindergarten and by referral for other students.
Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Academic, and Social-Emotional Skills: Assessed continuously by classroom teachers.
Information from these screenings is recorded in the student’s official school file.
Access to Student Records
School records are always open and available to parents. Access is limited to school officials with a legitimate educational interest in the child. Records are only released to other individuals or agencies with written permission from the parent or legal guardian.
Requesting a Screening or Evaluation
Parents who have concerns about their child’s learning or development may request a screening or evaluation at any time by contacting their school building's principal or the Special Education Supervisor.
Communication with parents and students will be provided in English or in the family's native language as needed.
Oral request for evaluation: The district will provide a Permission to Evaluate – Evaluation Request form within 10 calendar days.
Written request for evaluation: If the district agrees to evaluate, it will provide the Permission to Evaluate – Consent form and a Notice of Recommended Educational Placement/Prior Written Notice (NOREP/PWN) within a reasonable time, generally within 10 calendar days.
Use of Screening Information
Screening results are reviewed by the school’s Child Study Team to determine whether interventions are needed or if further evaluation is appropriate.
If a psychological evaluation is recommended, the district will send the Permission to Evaluate – Consent form to obtain parental consent. Parents will also receive a Procedural Safeguards Notice, which explains all rights available to parents of a child with a disability (ages 3–21) who has been referred for or is receiving special education services.
Evaluation Process and Report
After evaluations are completed with parent involvement, a detailed Evaluation Report will be prepared. This report includes specific recommendations for interventions and programming to meet the student’s individual needs. A copy of the report will be provided to the parent.
If the student is found eligible for special education services, parents will be invited to participate in an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting.
The IEP Team
The IEP team develops a plan tailored to the student’s needs. Required IEP team members include:
Parent(s) or legal guardian
A general education teacher
A special education teacher
A representative of the Local Education Agency (LEA)
School psychologist (or someone qualified to explain evaluation results)
The student, starting at age 14 when planning for life after graduation (or earlier if appropriate)
A representative from a career and technical school if such programming is being considered
Other individuals may also be invited to the meeting at the request of the parent or the LEA. This may include:
An administrator
Social worker
Nurse
Related service providers
Other agency representatives
Anyone else the parent wishes to invite
An advocate chosen by the parent
If a required member of the IEP team cannot attend, they may be excused with written agreement from both the LEA and the parent using the Parental Consent to Excuse Members from Attending the IEP Team Meeting form. In such cases, the excused member must provide written input for the team to review.
Parent Participation
Parents are valued and essential members of the IEP team. The district makes every effort to ensure parents can participate, including providing written notices, making documented phone calls, and offering necessary accommodations to facilitate attendance.
Parents will receive a Notice of Recommended Educational Placement (NOREP) explaining the proposed program. Parents have the right to agree or disagree with the recommendation. If they disagree, they may pursue mediation or a due process hearing.
Local and State Task Force Information
State and local task forces exist to serve as family resources and support groups. The Right to Education Consent Agreement of 1972 provided for the establishment of a Local Task Force (LTF) in each of the 29 Intermediate Unit regions to ensure that the intent and spirit of the agreement is carried out throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Although the initial intent of the LTF was to represent the needs and interests of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, today’s LTF has expanded its efforts to include all students with disabilities.
For more information or how to be involved with the State Task Force or the Local Task Force that is in the Central Intermediate Unit 10 region, please review these brochures:
Privacy Rights of Parents and Students
The school district and its employees are required by federal law and state and federal rules and regulations to protect the rights of students. Information about students cannot be disclosed without written parental consent.
Educational Records, Personally Identifiable Information, and Directory Information
Educational records consist of information directly related to a student which is maintained by an educational agency. Personally identifiable information includes the students name, the name of the parent or other family members, a personal identifier, or a list of personal characteristics that would make the student’s identity easily traceable. Educational records and personally identifiable information cannot be disclosed or released without written parent consent, or if a student is over eighteen, without student consent.
There is certain information that can be released without consent which is called directory information. Directory information means information contained in an education record of a student which would not generally be considered a harmful or an invasion of privacy, if disclosed. The school district designates what information is labeled as directory information. It shall include the following: The student’s name, address, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletics teams, dates of attendance, degrees of awards receive, and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student. Disclosure of the information means to permit access to or the release, transfer, or other communication of educational records, or the personally identifiable information contained in these records, to any party, by any means, including oral, written, or electronic. This means that information about a student cannot even be shared in conversation without permission. This also applies to other personal who do not have an educationally relevant reason to possess knowledge of a student.
Written parental consent is necessary for disclosure of personally identifiable information and educational records. The consent must: (1) specify the record that may be disclosed; (2) state the purpose of a disclosure; (3) identify the part of class of parties to whom the disclosure may be made. Furthermore, the school district must maintain a written record of disclosure for the parents to inspect in case information has been released.
Fees: The Glendale School District may charge a fee for copies of records that are made for parents if the fee does not effectively prevent the parents from exercising their right to inspect and review those records. There will be a charge of .25 per copy for single documents and .30 per copy for multi-page documents.
Chapter 15 Protected Handicapped Students
A protected handicapped student is a student who is school age with a physical or mental disability which substantially limits or prohibits participation in or access to any aspect of the school program.
In compliance with state and federal law, the school district will provide to each protected handicapped student, without discrimination or cost to the student or family, those related aides, services, or accommodations which are needed to provide equal opportunity to participate in and obtain the benefits of the school program and extracurricular activities to the maximum extent appropriate to the student’s abilities. These services and protections for “protected handicapped student” are distinct from those applicable to all eligible or exceptional students enrolled (or seeking enrollment in special education programs).
The goal of Child Study of to provide a process whereby a committee of school personnel and non-school personnel, as appropriate, meet to address the needs of individual students who are having difficulty in the educational setting. The Child Study team will intervene in order to maintain the child in the regular classroom setting.
The goal of the student success team (SST) is to provide a process whereby a committee of school personnel and non-school personnel, as appropriate, meet to address the needs of individual students who are having difficulty in the educational setting. The SST will intervene in order to maintain the child in the regular education setting.
Disability Services: Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
The Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, or OVR, provides vocational rehabilitation services to help persons with disabilities prepare for, obtain, or maintain employment. OVR provides services to eligible individuals with disabilities, both directly and through a network of approved vendors. Services are provided on an individualized basis. The OVR counselor, during face-to-face interviews, assists customers in selecting their choice of vocational goals, services and service providers. An individualized plan for employment (IPE) is developed, outlining a vocational objective, services, providers, and responsibilities. Certain services are subject to a financial needs test (FNT) and may require financial participation by the customer. Counseling and guidance, diagnostic services, assessments, information and referral, job development and placement, and personal services such as readers or sign language interpreters are provided at no cost to the individual. Also, by law OVR customers receiving social security benefits for their disability (SSI, SSDI) are exempt from OVR’s financial needs test.
Contacts
Ashley Nixon, MRC, Rehabilitation
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
727 Goucher Street, Section 10
Johnstown, PA 15905
Phone: 1-800-762-4223
Lana Arnold, MSW, BSL - Early Reach Coordinator
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
727 Goucher Street, Section 10
Johnstown, PA 15905
Phone: 1-800-762-4223
Missy Franklin, LSW - Early Reach Coordinator
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
199 Beaver Drive
DuBois, PA 15801
Phone: (814) 371.7340
Kris Smeal, M.A., CRC - Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
199 Beaver Drive
DuBois, PA 15801
814-603-1589 (cell)
Glendale School District – Gifted Education Eligibility
Glendale School District offers gifted education services for school-aged students beyond second grade who demonstrate exceptional ability. Eligibility is based on multiple established criteria, including:
An IQ score of 130 or higher, or
An IQ score lower than 130 when other strong educational criteria indicate gifted ability.
Referral for Gifted Education Evaluation
We recognize that many individuals play important roles in supporting your child’s education. The following people may refer a student for gifted education evaluation:
Parent/Legal Guardian
Teacher
Administrator
We accept both written and verbal requests for referral.
Haley Strong
Special Education Programs
To meet the needs of eligible students, special education services are available in the following buildings, serving the entire district:
Glendale School District
1466 Beaver Valley Road
Flinton, PA 16640
Dr. Maureen Letcher Superintendent
814-687-3402
Mrs. Haley Strong, Special Education Supervisor
814-687-4263
Mrs. Kelley Goss,
Psychologist
814-687-5044
High School
Mr. Rick Kozak,
High School Principal
814-687-4261
Mr. Gregg Mazenko, High School Assistant Principal
814-687-4261
Elementary
Mrs. Jeanette Williams, Elementary Principal
814-687-4263