Special Education

Child Find is the process of locating, evaluating, and identifying children with disabilities who may need special education and related services. Pathfinder Career Academy is committed to the location, identification, and provision of a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for all children with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 22. Anyone with knowledge of the child may initiate the location and referral of children suspected of having a disability.

Child Find’s purpose is to notify parents, professionals, and the public about children who may have special needs. Its goal is to ensure that school districts identify children who may have disabilities and who may not have been noticed otherwise. Another benefit is enabling eligible children to receive the special education and related services needed and promoting public awareness of disabilities.

As part of the child find process, the school district will ask for information about the child, asking such questions as: What is the area of concern? What interventions have been implemented to address the area of concern? What background information is available? This information may be collected in several ways, including interviews, observations, screening, and testing. This information may be obtained from parents and the student or other agencies with information about the student. This information will be used to help determine whether the child has a disability and needs special services.

If a disability is suspected, the School will contact the child’s parents/guardians to discuss the next steps in the evaluation and identification process, including obtaining consent for any potential evaluation of the child. This process is provided at no cost to the family. If a child qualifies for services, appropriate special education and related services will be provided during the school day.

In accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requirement that all educational agencies provide parents of students with disabilities notice containing a full explanation of the procedural safeguards available under the IDEA and U.S. Department of Education regulations. Please review A Guide to Parent Rights in Special Education. This Document is available in multiple languages here.

To request a records transfer from Pathfinder to another school, or to inquire regarding record transfers from other schools contact: records@pathfinderoh.org

Situations may arise where parents or other family members believe a school has violated federal or state law. The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) Office for Exceptional Children (OEC) and Office of Early Learning and School Readiness (EL&SR) encourage parents, family members and schools to work together to resolve differences. (Source: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce)  Parents may discuss grievances or disputes with representatives outside of the school by contacting their local State Support Team.