Special Education District Plan 2022-2024

NYS Procedural Safeguards

Briarcliff High School Therapeutic Supportive Programming takes into consideration an individual and their need

It once started as a gifted program geared toward students displaying giftedness in some areas and deficits in others. It combined gifted coursework (AP) with services to ameliorate the deficits and provide group and individual counseling for those needing emotional support as well. This program now is available to students who are in the average to above-average range. Students invited to our HS can benefit from accessing all the supports associated with our programming as well as participating in vocational and/or research programs. This flexible environment continues to offer the opportunity for district students needing this level of support to maintain the (LRE) least restrictive environment in their home district. The flexibility also provides best-practice programming for students in the consortium districts; thereby, providing a source of revenue for the district. Each year we allow for 12 students from other public schools to join the cohort.

1. Consultant Teacher Direct and Indirect- Consultant Teacher Direct; Grades 9-12 integrated setting (Universal Design 8 special educators serving 9-12)
2. Collaborative Model smaller ratio class 18-20 students:1 teacher (Dual Certified Teacher
3. Core-Content Area, Special Ed Certificated) 43min daily in 1 or more Core Content Area(s) ELA, History, Math, Science
4. Consultant Teacher Direct-Integrated Co-Teaching (12:1 State model) one general education content specialty teacher and one special education teacher)
5. Consultant Teacher Indirect - General Education Core Content Specialist Class with TA Support Staff
6. Consultant Teacher (Direct and Indirect) General Education Class with:
   1. Related Services Push-in / out
   2. Related Services Push-in /out and Consultant Teacher Indirect
   3. Related Services Push-in /out and Consultant Teacher Direct
   4. Related Services Push-in / out and CTD-Resource Center
   5. Related Services Push-in / out and CTD-Integrated Co-Teacher
   6. Related Services Push-in / out and CTD-Integrated Co-Teacher and Resource Center

The K-12 Continuum of Services

Dr. Debora Serio-Vaughan; Director of Pupil Personnel

The Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District is committed to educating students with disabilities within its own schools, whenever appropriate. The Committee on Special Education and the Committee on Preschool Special Education shall recommend programs and/or services which provide for a free and appropriate public education based on the individual learning needs of the student. All school-aged students with disabilities shall be provided the opportunity to participate in the curricular and extracurricular programs of the district.

Briarcliff Manor UFSD is dedicated to the education of all students regardless of ability; we pride ourselves on the continuum of services offered to all students.

RELATED SERVICES, SKILLS AND FAMILY TRAINING

Related services are available as determined by student’s needs. Skills reinforcement comes in a variety of way through individual and group cohorts based on individual need. Family training is available to parents of students with autism on a monthly basis and community based instruction is available to students as appropriate.

INTEGRATED CO-TEACHING K-12 PROGRAM

An Integrated Co-Teaching program provides possibilities for disabled students in Kindergarten through Twelfth grade to be included with characteristically emergent peers. Staffing for the K-12 Integrated Co-Teaching program includes one regular education teacher, one special education teacher as well as one special education aide with the ratio of 12:1. This configuration is characteristic throughout the district, lending to a smooth transition and continuum of services throughout the K-12 model. Elementary Integrated Co-Teaching Program is available in Social Studies and Science, Middle through High School Integrated Co-Teaching Program is available in English, History,  Science and Mathematics.

RESOURCE ROOM 6-12– PRE-TEACHING-RE-TEACHING-POST-TEACHING

Resource Room - Direct Instruction is a flexible program that affords students direct instruction in a 5-1 ratio for skills designated on their IEPs in conjunction with general education integration. Integration into a mainstream class is facilitated by the special education teacher. The amount of time a student is to spend in the resource room is IEP driven and not to exceed 90 minutes per day.

SPECIAL CLASS – K-12 (LIMITED TO A VERY SMALL POPULATION PER NEED)

The Specially Designed Instruction for a multimodal approach is specific direct instruction when a student's learning profile requires it. These students are expected to pursue the goals of meeting New York State Standards and are provided the same courses required for a regent’s diploma under Part 100.2 of the Commissioner’s Regulations as are offered in the mainstream regular education program.

Flexibility in Designing a Universal Supportive Environment

A Flexible Approach to Serving Student Needs at BHS 9-12 (Briarcliff HS is a Therapeutic Learning Environment)

What was once a progressive hybrid special education program serving students with eclectic needs ranging from emotional, motivational, and academically challenging to giftedness has become the norm and flexibility for all. This [therapeutic] program is designed for students in grades nine through twelve who are struggling with a range of disabilities including but not limited to stress. Students in our HS may participate in mainstream classes with support and/or in modified classes as appropriate depending on individual needs. At each grade level, English, History, Mathematics, and Science are offered fully integrated and mainstreamed with appropriate support built in to allow for optimal student success. Resource Center, Study Skills, Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Counseling are an integral part of the program. These Related services are available to all that require/depending on students’ needs.  

TEACHER CONSULTANT PROGRAM (TCP)

The Teacher Consultant Program services a multiplicity of students ranging from students who require individualized academic support in a mainstream setting to those students’ exiting formalized supports. Staff for the program includes special education teachers who work directly with the mainstream teacher.

INDIVIDUALIZED SUPPORT PROGRAM (ISP)

The Individual Support Program services students who are multiply disabled and require a 1:1 Teaching Assistant. Direct Instruction is available on a one-on-one and/or small-group basis. Transitional planning, community-based instruction, travel training, and job coaching are available. Related services are provided on a push-in and/or pull-out basis as appropriate for individual students. Currently, the needs for such support exist in elementary, middle, and high school.

The school district must offer a variety of programming and services to meet the diverse needs of students with disabilities. This is referred to as the continuum of services.  this continuum also includes such programming as:

• Home/ Hospital Instruction
• Private NYS-Approved Day Schools
• Related Services – speech/language, counseling, physical therapy, occupational therapy
• Residential NYS-Approved Schools
• Special Program in neighboring districts or BOCES

The CPSE or CSE must select and recommend the components or combination of components of the continuum that meets a student’s needs in what is called the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). Students can receive services for either a 10 or 12-month school year if the CSE determines eligibility for extended-year (ESY) services due to severe regression.

MCKINNEY-VENTO

Resources

Forms 

Housing Questionnaire 
This new Housing Questionnaire should be used by all local educational agencies (LEAs), which include school districts, charter schools, and BOCES, as the first page of the enrollment packet for all newly enrolling students, and should also be completed by all students/families who report a change of address. The Housing Questionnaire was
updated on November 11, 2016, and it replaces the former Enrollment Form/Residency Questionnaire. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) requires all LEAs that receive Title I funds and encourages all other LEAs, to use the new Housing Questionnaire, which asks about students' living arrangements, in order to identify
students experiencing homelessness in the school district. 

Sample Enrollment Process for Students in Temporary Housing 
Every LEA must ensure that students who are experiencing homelessness are immediately enrolled in school. This is a Sample Enrollment Process that school districts may follow as a model process for immediately enrolling students experiencing homelessness once they are identified as homeless.

Laws and Guidance
SED Guidance

PLEASE NOTE: Some of the information in the attached documents is now out of date.
Important changes related to McKinney-Vento were included in the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA), which went into effect October 1, 2016. The new law impacts some of the information included here. Please continue to check nysteachs.org for updated information about how new laws will impact policies and procedures in New York State, and as always, feel free to contact NYSTEACHS at 800-388-2014 with any questions you may have.

A Guide to Understanding the New Rules for School Registration
In July 2015, NYSED Commissioner's Regulations governing enrollment of students in public school were amended to ensure that all students, and in particular unaccompanied youth, have timely access to school. The Regulations require that school districts accept a broader range of documents to establish residency and establish timelines for making residency determinations. The NYSED has produced brochures in multiple languages that districts can provide to parents so that they better understand the enrollment process. The brochure is currently available in: English, Spanish, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French,Haitian-Creole, Karen, Nepali, Russian, and Urdu.

McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act
Enrollment and school selection are discussed in Section 722(g)(3)(c)(i) & 722(g)(3)(A).

Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program: Non-Regulatory Guidance
This non-regulatory guidance for the McKinney-Vento Act clarifies LEA and SEA responsibilities regarding the Act, and provides answers to commonly asked questions about the Act.

NYSED Field Memo Re: Guidance Regarding Shared Housing Affidavit
This October 2009 Field Memo from the State Education Department clarifies the use of shared housing and proof of residency affidavits in the enrollment of students claiming to be homeless under the federal McKinney-Vento Act and NYS Education Law and regulations.

Information Regarding Transportation
The following guide outlines the entitlements to transportation in various homeless scenarios.

NYSED Field Memo Re: Education of Homeless Children and Youth
This Field Memo from the State Education Department summarizes the provisions of the McKinney-Vento Act that were reauthorized as a part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

National Referrals

Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates

Legal Services Corporation
This is the single largest provider of civil legal aid for the poor in the U.S. On their home page is a map where you can locate a Legal Service Office in your community.
Some offices will help with special education problems.

National Center for Learning Disabilities

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

In New York State

New York State Education Department has services and publications including:

• NYS Procedural Safeguards
• A guide on preschool transition
• A guide on preschool special education
• A guide on special education in English
• A guide on special education in Spanish

New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS)

Local Youth Bureaus

New York State Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD)

This office seeks to help people with disabilities to live richer lives. To find your regional services including your local Developmental Disabilities Service Office, select the Services tab.

N.Y.S. Bar Association
Use this site to locate attorneys in your area.

Legal Services of the Hudson Valley
Provides free civil legal services to low-income people.

Partnership for Children’s Rights
A nonprofit law firm dedicated to helping disadvantaged children throughout New York City.

Law Help
Helps low and moderate people to find free legal aid programs in their communities.

“CAPCO” CHALLENGES AWARENESS PARENT COMMITTEE is a districtwide parent-teacher committee organized for the specific purpose of providing information and support to parents and caregivers of children with special needs including those with 504 plans or IEPs or those receiving RTI or general building level support. Our mission is to create an inclusive sense of community for all families of children with disabilities from early intervention in CPSE through high school and age 21. C A P C O, A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE BMPTA sponsors parent gatherings, speakers, library resources, and educational programs to create a mindful community network for parents and caregivers.

Please search "CAPCO" on our District Calendar for meeting dates.

Our goals and objectives are: 

• To promote a greater awareness of special education in our district and community, 
• To connect parents with mutual concerns and open the lines of communication, 
• To encourage and help educate parents about issues in both general and special education, 
• To provide parents with information on local special education events, research information, and district developments about special-education,
• To foster an open environment that reduces shame and encourages acceptance with the change of ideas and information regarding special education.

The Dignity for All Students Act (DASA)

• Home 

• Brochure

• Resources

• Lesson Plan Template

• Forms