Medicaid Outreach

Special Education Advisory Committee

Child Find Notice

Early Childhood Special Education

Section 504

Related Services

Parent Resource Center

Vocational Pathways

Transition Services

Services for Deaf, Deaf-Blind, or Hard-of-Hearing Students

Services for Students who are Blind and Visually Impaired

Special Education? Special education is specially designed instruction, provided at no cost to the parent(s), to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, including instruction conducted in a classroom, in the home, in hospitals, institutions, and in other settings and instruction in physical education.

Referral? When a student is suspected of having a disability, a referral, which is a written or oral request for an evaluation, is made to the school.

Evaluation? After a referral and consent, the school will evaluate the student to determine if the student has a disability as well as the nature and extent of the special education and related services the student may need.

Eligibility?  Based on the results of the evaluation, a team of our qualified personnel and the student's parents make the decision to determine if the student meets one or more of the thirteen disability categories.  

What are the 13 disability categories? ID-Intellectual Disabilities, AUT-Autism, DB-Deaf-Blind, DD-Developmental Delay, ED-Emotional Disability, HI-Hearing Impairment, MD-Multiple Disabilities, OHI-Other Health Impairment, OI-Orthopedic Impairment, SLD-Specific Learning Disability, SLI-Speech Language Impartment, TBI-Traumatic Brain Injury, VI-Vision Impairment. 

Individualized Education Plan-IEP?  The IEP is an outline of instructions, supports, accommodations, modifications, and services a student with a disability will need to be successful in school. 

Review of IEP? Once a year the IEP team must meet to review and revise the student’s IEP accordingly.  

Triennial? Once every three years, a reevaluation must be completed to determine whether the student continues to be eligible, determine if the student's needs have changed, or if additional information is needed to determine if the student continues to have a disability.  

Medicaid Reimbursement?  While Wise County Public Schools is financially responsible for educational services, however, in the case of a Medicaid, Medicaid Expansion, or FAMIS/CHIP-enrolled student, state agencies may reimburse part of the costs of providing the services identified in the student’s IEP if they are covered under the state’s plan for medical assistance and determined to be medically necessary by a qualified professional. The reimbursement Wise County Public Schools receives goes directly to retaining highly qualified professionals and for the purchasing of therapy/nursing equipment for our schools.

What is the impact of Medicaid Reimbursement through the school and students receiving outside therapy services? Many children also receive outside services in addition to in-school services. A child’s eligibility for and coverage of services received from non-school providers are NOT impacted and a student can continue to receive both services and both providers can continue to seek reimbursement. 

504 Plan? A 504 Plan is based on eligibility under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and not the IDEA. A child may be identified as a student with a disability under this statute if the student has a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits a major life activity. 

Individualized Service Plan-ISP? This is a plan paid for by the local school division for parentally placed students who would receive special education services if they attended public school but who instead attend a private school or are homeschooled. 

Homebound? Homebound instruction shall be made available to students who are confined at home or in a health care facility for periods that would prevent normal school attendance based upon certification of need by a licensed physician or licensed clinical psychologist.