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Special Education

Special Education

Amherst County Public Schools provides a continuum of services for students with disabilities, age 2 to 21 inclusive, who are found eligible to receive special education services. The eligibility determination for special education services is a carefully managed process guided by the Regulations Governing Special Education Programs for Children with Disabilities in Virginia (January 25, 2010). Evaluations required to make this determination are completed by a team of professionals who, with parental consent, consider a variety of evaluation data and information, including input from parents participating on the committee. Once found eligible, an individualized education program (IEP) is developed cooperatively by the student's parents, educators, principal/designee, student (when appropriate) and other invited participants.

Special education services are provided in the least restrictive environment in the neighborhood school to the maximum extent appropriate for children with disabilities so they may be educated with children who are not disabled. Special education services are provided within specific division wide programs for students with low incidence disabilities when the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in general education classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be reasonably achieved.

Contact Us

Josh Neighbors, Chief Student Services Officer

(434) 946-9341

Contact Me by Email

Juli Albert, Supervisor of Special Education & Early Childhood Programs

(434) 946-9341

Contact Me by Email

Special Education Resources & Information

  • What is the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC)?
    The special education regulations pertaining to local SEACs at 8 VAC 20-81-230 D state that:

    • D. A local advisory committee for special education, appointed by each local school board, shall advise the school board through the division superintendent.
      • Membership.
        • A majority of the committee shall be parents of children with disabilities or individuals with disabilities.
        • The committee shall include one teacher.
        • Additional local school division personnel shall serve only as consultants to the committee.
      • The functions of the local advisory committee shall be as follows:
        • Advise the local school division of needs in the education of children with disabilities;
        • Participate in the development of priorities and strategies for meeting the identified needs of children with disabilities;
        • Submit periodic reports and recommendations regarding the education of children with disabilities to the division superintendent for transmission to the local school board;
        • Assist the local school division in interpreting plans to the community for meeting the special needs of children with disabilities for educational services;
        • Review the policies and procedures for the provision of special education and related services prior to submission to the local school board; and
        • Participate in the review of the local school division's annual plan, as outlined in subdivision B.2. of this section.


    The Virginia Department of Education’s ‘A Guide for Local Special Education Advisory Committees in Virginia’ provides information and guidance regarding the role of SEACs in Virginia’s public schools:

    • Function
    • Procedures
    • Membership
    • Roles and responsibilities
    • And much more


    Contact Us:

  • Virginia Department of Education Department of Special Populations

    Your Family’s Special Education Rights

    Virginia Procedural Safeguards Notice & Special Education Procedural Safeguards Requirements

     

  • Amherst County Public Schools provides for a free and appropriate public education for all children with disabilities in a variety of specially designed programs. Special Education and related services are available for persons, ages 2-21 inclusive, who have disabilities in the following areas:

    • autism,
    • deaf-blindness,
    • developmental delay,
    • deafness,
    • hearing impairment,
    • intellectual disabilities,
    • multiple disabilities,
    • orthopedic impairment,
    • other health impairment,
    • emotional disability,
    • specific learning disability,
    • speech or language impairment,
    • traumatic brain injury, and
    • visual impairment.

    Programs for preschool-aged children with disabilities are also available. 

    If you are aware of a child who may be eligible for services and is not receiving them, contact the principal of your school or Josh Neighbors, Chief Student Services Officers, Amherst County Public Schools, P.O. Box 1257, Amherst, VA 24521. Phone: 434-946-9341.

  • Screening policy for all children enrolled in ACPS, including transfers from out of state, is as follows:

    • All children (through grade three), within 60 business days of initial enrollment in ACPS, shall be screened in speech, voice, and language to determine if a referral for an evaluation for special education and related services is indicated.
    • All children, within 60 business days of initial enrollment, shall be screened in the areas of vision and hearing to determine if a referral for an evaluation for special education and related services is indicated. In addition, the vision and hearing of all children in grades three, seven and ten shall be screened during the school year.
    • All children (through grade three), within 60 business days of initial enrollment, shall be screened for scoliosis, fine and gross motor functions to determine if a referral for an evaluation for special education and related services is indicated.
    • The screening may take place up to 60 business days prior to the start of school. ACPS may recognize screenings reported as part of the child's pre-school physical examination required under the Code of Virginia if completed within the above prescribed time line.
    • Specific measures or instruments will be employed which use:
      • (1) Both observational and performance techniques; and
      • (2) Techniques which guarantee nondiscrimination.
    • Children who fail any of the above screenings may be re-screened after 60 business days if the original results are not considered valid.
    • Children shall be referred to the special education administrator or designee no more than five business days after screening or re-screening if results suggest that a referral for evaluation for special education and related services is indicated. The referral shall include the screening results.

  • Amherst County Public Schools’ Public Notice – Prior Notice of Screening Program

    1. Within 60 administrative working days of initial enrollment in a public school, the Amherst County Public Schools System is required by Virginia Department of Education regulations to screen children in the following areas to determine if further assessment is warranted. A. Speech, voice and language. B. Vision and hearing C. Scoliosis D. All children (through grade three), within 60 administration working days of initial enrollment in a public school, shall be screened for fine and gross motor functions to determine if further assessment is warranted.
    2. In Amherst County, second grade students are screened for possible speech language difficulties after speech development should basically be complete.
    3. All screening will be conducted in your child’s school in a nondiscriminatory manner. Observational and performance techniques will be used. Procedural safeguards including this notice, confidentially proper maintenance of your child’s scholastic record will be ensured. You will be contacted only if further assessment is recommended. This screening enables the Amherst County Public Schools System to provide special attention and help to identify students who are high risk or in need of extra attention. This service is offered at no cost.

  • Regulations Governing Special Education Programs for Children with Disabilities in Virginia:

    • "Autism" means a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that adversely affects a child's educational performance. Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences. Autism does not apply if a child's educational performance is adversely affected primarily because the child has an emotional disturbance. A child who manifests the characteristics of autism after age three could be identified as having autism if the criteria in this definition are satisfied.
    • "Deafness" means a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, that adversely affects the child's educational performance.
    • "Deaf-blindness" means simultaneous hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness.
    • "Developmental delay" means a disability affecting a child ages two by September 30 through six, inclusive: 
      • 1. (i) Who is experiencing developmental delays, as measured by appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures, in one or more of the following areas: physical development, cognitive development, communication development, social or emotional development, or adaptive development, or (ii) who has an established physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in developmental delay;
      • 2. The delay(s) is not primarily a result of cultural factors, environmental or economic disadvantage, or limited English proficiency; and
      • 3. The presence of one or more documented characteristics of the delay has an adverse effect on educational performance and makes it necessary for the student to have specially designed instruction to access and make progress in the general educational activities for this age group.
    • "Emotional disability" means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's educational performance: 
      • 1. An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors;
      • 2. An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers;
      • 3. Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances;
      • 4. A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression; or
      • 5. A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems. Emotional disability includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disability as defined in this section.
    • "Hearing impairment" means an impairment in hearing in one or both ears, with or without amplification, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child's educational performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness in this section.
    • "Intellectual disability" means the definition formerly known as "mental retardation" and means significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period that adversely affects a child's educational performance.
    • "Multiple disabilities" means simultaneous impairments (such as intellectual disability with blindness, intellectual disability with orthopedic impairment), the combination of which causes such severe educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for one of the impairments. The term does not include deaf-blindness.
    • "Orthopedic impairment" means a severe orthopedic impairment that adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term includes impairments caused by congenital anomaly, impairments caused by disease (e.g., poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis, etc.), and impairments from other causes (e.g., cerebral palsy, amputations, and fractures or burns that cause contractures). 
    • "Other health impairment" means having limited strength, vitality or alertness, including a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli, that results in limited alertness with respect to the educational environment, that is due to chronic or acute health problems such as asthma, attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, and sickle cell anemia and Tourette syndrome that adversely affects a child's educational performance.
    • "Specific learning disability" means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.
      • Specific learning disability does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities; of intellectual disabilities; of emotional disabilities; of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage. 
      • Dyslexia is distinguished from other learning disabilities due to its weakness occurring at the phonological level. Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.
    • "Speech or language impairment" means a communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, expressive or receptive language impairment, or voice impairment that adversely affects a child's educational performance.
    • "Traumatic brain injury" means an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, that adversely affects a child's educational performance. Traumatic brain injury applies to open or closed head injuries resulting in impairments in one or more areas, such as cognition; language; memory; attention; reasoning; abstract thinking; judgment; problem-solving; sensory, perceptual, and motor abilities; psychosocial behavior; physical functions; information processing; and speech. Traumatic brain injury does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or to brain injuries induced by birth trauma.
    • "Visual impairment including blindness" means an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness.

  • Abbreviations

    • AT = Assistive technology
    • BIP = Behavioral intervention plan
    • CSA = Comprehensive Services Act
    • CSC = Child study committee
    • DB = Deaf-blindness
    • DD = Developmental delay
    • ED = Emotional disability
    • ESY = Extended school year  
    • FAPE = Free appropriate public education
    • FBA = Functional behavioral assessment
    • HI = Hearing impairment
    • IAES = Interim alternative educational setting
    • ID = Intellectual Disability
    • IDEA  =Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
    • IEE = Independent educational evaluation
    • IEP = Individualized education program
    • LRE = Least restrictive environment
    • MD = Multiple disabilities
    • MDR = Manifestation determination review
    • OHI = Other health impairment
    • OI = Orthopedic impairment
    • OM = Orientation and mobility services
    • OT = Occupational therapy
    • PE = Physical education
    • PT = Physical therapy
    • SE = Special education
    • SLD = Specific learning disability
    • SLI = Speech or language impairment
    • SOL = Standards of Learning  
    • SOP = State-operated programs
    • TBI = Traumatic brain injury
    • VAAP = Virginia Alternate Assessment Program
    • VDOE = Virginia Department of Education
    • VGLA = Virginia Grade Level Alternative assessment
    • VI = Visual impairment including blindness
    • VMAST = Virginia Modified Achievement Standards Test
    • VSEP = Virginia Substitute Evaluation Program

  • The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) provides information on its website about educational services and resources to support students who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, or deaf-blind. The following resources are sourced from VDOE’s Sensory Disabilities webpage and websites for partnering agencies, centers, and college/university programs in Virginia.

     

    Guidance Documents

    Deaf and Hard of Hearing (including Deaf-Blindness)

     

    Blindness and Visual Impairment (including Deaf-Blindness)

     

    State Agencies

    • The Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind (VSDB) is located in Staunton, Virginia, and provides a comprehensive PreK-12 educational day program, outreach services, and residential services exclusively for Virginia students who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, or deaf-blind. The VSDB Outreach Services assists early intervention programs, local school divisions, and families in meeting the needs of children with sensory disabilities across the Commonwealth. The VSDB’s admissions policy is available on its website. Contact: Pat Trice, Superintendent by email or (804) 536-0591
    • The Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI) includes an Education Services Program to provide services to early intervention providers, school personnel, and families to assist children with visual impairment, blindness, and deafblindness to be successful in school and the community and to prepare for the future. The DBVI Library and Resource Center provides services to local school divisions to support the education of children who are blind or visually impaired and persons who are print disabled. The DVBI offers training in the skills of blindness. Contact: Donna Cox, Director of Education and Library Services by email or (804) 887-7327
    • The Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH) provides information and services for telecommunication services and equipment, interpreter standards, referrals, Deaf mentors for families, and other services. These resources promote accessible communications so that students and parents who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing may fully participate in programs, services, and opportunities throughout Virginia. Contact: Eric Raff, Director by email or (804) 404-9090 or (800) 552-7917

     

    Technical Assistance Centers

     

    Professional Education and Training Programs

     

    For questions regarding this guidance, contact Wanda Council, Specialist for Sensory Disabilities by email or (804) 750-8614.

  • Translated versions of the VDOE’s Virginia Family’s Guide to Special Education: