• Child Find

    If you have a child between the ages of birth-3 and you suspect they may have a disability, you may contact Arizona Early Intervention Program or your local home school campus, or call 623-691-1842 for further support.

     

    Child Find is a component of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA ’04) that requires Public Education Agencies (PEA) to locate, identify, and evaluate all children with disabilities, aged from birth through 21, located within their boundaries of responsibility, who are in need of early intervention or special education services.

    I. Public Awareness

     

    The Cartwright School District, on an annual basis, creates public awareness of special education opportunities and advises parents of the rights of children with disabilities. Through Child Find, the district attempts to locate, identify, and evaluate students from ages 3 to 21, residing within the district boundaries or students attending private/parochial schools located within the district boundaries who may be in need of special education and/or related services. The district will ensure that district staff and the general public are informed of:

     

    1. The availability of special education services;

    2. Student rights to a free, appropriate public education;

    3. Confidentiality protections;

    4. The special education referral process; and

    5. Information regarding early intervention services for children aged birth through 2 years.

     

    II. 45-day Screening of School-Aged Children

     

    All kindergarten and other new students will be screened within 45 days of enrollment using the 45-day Screening Form, which is available at all district schools. Teacher data is collected for a period of 45 days, and the screener is completed on or after the 45th day of school, but not before. The screening will be conducted to identify possible problems in the areas of vision, hearing, academic skills, cognitive development, psychomotor skills, communication, and social-emotional development. The screening will not be needed if records from a previous school indicate that the student has already been screened. If screening results indicate a possible concern, the student will be referred to the school’s grade level team or problem-solving team to engage in a problem-solving process and initiate interventions.

    III. Screening Early Childhood Special Education Program

     

    Early Childhood Special Education Services (ECSE) are offered to eligible children ages 3 to 5 years of age who have been identified through the district’s child find process. Parents, private early childhood special education programs, pediatricians, and other community members may contact the district special education office to refer a child for an early childhood special education evaluation. Child Find procedures for early childhood special education children are as follows:

     

    1. When a child is referred to the child's find screening personnel or the Early Childhood Special Education Program (ECSE), by the parent or another community member, the parents will be provided a child's find packet to complete.

    2. The screening staff will schedule the child for a vision, hearing, and appropriate developmental screening test.

    3. If the child passes the developmental screening test, the parent will be given a copy of the screening results.

    4. If the child fails the developmental screening test, the child's packet will be forwarded to the early childhood special education evaluation team. The early childhood special education evaluation team will contact the parents to schedule a review of existing data and potential comprehensive evaluation.

    5. If the parents disagree with the screening results, they may request an additional assessment. The evaluation team, including the parents, will decide whether to complete a comprehensive developmental assessment of the child.