Saucon Valley School District

Special education services are instructional programs and support services available to school-aged children who have been identified as eligible and in need of specially designed instruction by a Multi-Disciplinary Evaluation (MDE) and an Individual Education Program (IEP) team. These services are mandated by federal and state law and are provided at no cost to students who qualify with one or more of the following exceptionalities:

For additional information or requests for special services please contact the building principal, guidance counselor or the Director of Special Education.

•  Deaf - Blindness
•  Emotional Disturbance
•  Hearing Impairment
•  Intellectual Disabilities
•  Multiple Disabilities
•  Orthopedic Impairment
•  Other Health Impairment
•  Specific Learning Disability
•  Speech or Language Impairment
•  Traumatic Brain Injury
•  Visual Impairment including Blindness

For additional information or requests for special services please contact the building principal, guidance counselor or the Director of Special Education.

The district conducts ongoing child-find activities for the purpose of identifying students who may be in need of special education and related services.  In addition, parents and teachers who suspect a child may need services can make a referral to the Child Study Team (CST) to explore regular education supports and classroom modifications. Multi-disciplinary Evaluations (MDE) follow for those not making sufficient progress with CST supports. Parents can also directly request a multi-disciplinary evaluation regardless of whether their child attends public, private or parochial school.

• What is an Individual Education Program (IEP) meeting?
  If the student is eligible and in need of special education, an IEP meeting is held with team members (parents, school personnel, specialists, etc.) to review the Evaluation findings and to develop an Individual Education Plan. The IEP team determines the instructional program, level of intervention, goals, objectives, related services and specially designed instruction.

The district operates Gifted Support, Learning Support, and Speech and Language Support programs. We contract with the Colonial Intermediate Unit (Colonial IU) for Hearing and Vision Support services, and with private occupational and physical therapists and behavior consultants.  Most services are provided within the school district. In some cases, arrangements are made for students to attend classes in neighboring districts, Colonial IU schools or Approved Private special education Schools as per decisions by the IEP team. Services and the transportation to them are paid for by Saucon Valley School District.

Parents/ guardians are an integral part of all phases of special education. Parent/ guardian permission is required to conduct initial and reevaluations and your approval is needed to implement an IEP. You are a member of the MDE and IEP teams, are invited to annual IEP meetings and are encouraged to maintain close contact with your child's teacher and support staff. Parents can also request meetings to review their child's IEP or re-evaluations to assess the appropriateness of his/her educational program at any time.

All information gathered about your child is subject to confidentiality provisions contained in federal and state law. The district has policies and procedures in effect to ensure these rights and access to educational records. Procedural safeguard notices describing special education rights and due process are provided to parents throughout the MDE/IEP process.