Special Education - Duanesburg Central School District

Duanesburg Central School District believes in placing students in programs that are in the least restrictive environment, a belief that is consistent with New York State Education Department (NYSED) regulations. This means that a student with disabilities is provided with special education and services to the maximum extent appropriate as those for students without disabilities and as close as possible to the student’s home.

Special education services are available to any student with a mental, physical or emotional impairment that affects his or her educational performance. For school-age children, this may include autism, deafness, deaf-blindness, emotional disturbance, hearing impairment, learning disability, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, or visual impairment, including blindness.

The Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) establishes a prominent and active role for parents and teachers in planning and implementing educational programs for students with disabilities. Parents work hand-in-hand with their child’s teachers and other district staff to formulate their child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP).

Placements

Placement for the provision of services could be in a number of different settings, based upon the child’s individual needs. These placements include:

Regular Classroom: Student receives services in the regular classroom.
Regular Classroom and Related Services: Student receives program in the regular classroom and receives related services as recommended on the Individual Education Plan.
Regular Classroom and Consultant Services Direct and/or Indirect: Student receives program in the regular classroom with direct and/or indirect support from a consultant.
Regular Classroom and Resource: Student receives program in the regular classroom that is supplemented by Resource (push-in or pull-out) service.
Special Class: Student receives services in a self-contained special classroom on a daily basis. Students in special classes are grouped according to similarity of needs.
Special School: Student receives program in a separate day school serving students with special needs.
Specialized Facilities: Nonpublic Schools – Student needs are intensive enough to require day or residential programs.

Extended School Year Program

The Extended School Year Program is available for eligible students with disabilities. The Committee on Special Education (CSE) must determine whether a student requires extended school year services in order to prevent substantial regression. Substantial regression (a loss of eight weeks or more over a period of eight weeks) would be indicated by a student’s inability to maintain developmental levels due to a loss of skill, set of skill competencies or knowledge during the months of July and August. Students are considered for 12-month special services and/or programs to prevent substantial regression if they are:

Students whose management needs are determined to be highly intensive and require a high degree of individualized attention and intervention who are placed in special classes;
Students with severe multiple disabilities, whose programs consist primarily of habilitation and treatment and are placed in special classes;
Students who are recommended for home instruction whose special education needs are determined to be highly intensive and require a high degree of individualized attention and intervention, or who have severe multiple disabilities and require primarily habilitation and treatment;
Students whose needs are so severe that they can be met only in a seven-day residential program; or
Students receiving other special education services who, because of their disabilities, exhibit the need for 12-month special service and/or program to prevent substantial regression.
The IEP for the extended school year program may differ from the IEP developed for the school year program. The CSE determines the type and amount of services that a student needs for an appropriate extended school year program. The IEP developed for the extended school year program should focus on the areas in which the student is expected to experience regression. The IEP for the July-August program should indicate those areas where the student needs services to prevent substantial regression.

A small percentage of students will require related services only or itinerant specialized instruction in order to prevent substantial regression. In this instance, such services will be scheduled on an individual basis.

Resources & more information

Contacts

Danielle Schneible
Director of Special Education
Chairperson for Committee on Special Education (CSE)
Chairperson for Committee on Pre-School Special Education (CPSE)
(518) 895-2580

Shannon Gordon
Transition Coordinator
(518) 895-3000, Ext. 249