PUBLIC NOTICE

All responsible public agencies are required to locate, evaluate, and identify children with disabilities who are under the jurisdiction of the agency, regardless of the severity of the disability, including children attending private schools, children who live outside the district but are attending a private school within the district, highly mobile children, such as migrant and homeless children, children who are wards of the state, and children who are suspected of having a disability and in need of special education even though they are advancing from grade to grade. The Verona R-VII School District assures that they will provide a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) to all eligible children with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 under their jurisdictions. Disabilities include autism, deaf/blindness, emotional disorders, hearing impairment and deafness, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairments, specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment/blindness and young child with a developmental delay.

The Verona R-VII School District assures that they will provide information and referral services necessary to assist the State in the implementation of early intervention services for infants and toddlers eligible for the Missouri First Steps program.

The Verona R-VII School District assures that personally identifiable information collected, used, or maintained by the agency for the purposes of identification, evaluation, placement or provision of FAPE of children with disabilities may be inspected and/or reviewed by their parents/guardians. Parents/guardians may request amendment to the educational record if the parent/guardian believes the record is inaccurate, misleading, or violates the privacy or other rights of their child. Parents have the right to file complaints with the U.S. Department of Education or the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education concerning alleged failures by the district to meet the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

The Verona R-VII School District has developed a Local Compliance Plan for the implementation of State Regulations for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This plan contains the agency’s policies and procedures regarding storage, disclosure to third parties, retention and destruction of personally identifiable information and the agency’s assurances that services are provided in compliance with the General Education Provision Act (GEPA). This plan may be reviewed in the office of the director of special services in the student’s residential school during regular business hours.

This notice will be provided in native languages as appropriate.

SURROGATE PARENT PROGRAM

Pursuant to the requirements of state law, the State Board of Education is required to appoint a surrogate parent at such time as it becomes evident that a child with a disability does not have a parent or person acting as a parent to participate in matters dealing with the provision of special education. For purposes of surrogate parent appointment, “parent” is defined as a biological parent, a guardian, or a person acting as a parent of a child including, but not limited to, a grandparent, a step parent, or a foster parent with whom the child lives. The term does not include the State if the child is a ward of the State. The term does not include a person whose parental rights have been terminated. The local school district is given the responsibility to determine when a child with a disability who requires special education and who resides in the district is without a parent. The district must notify the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education of the need to appoint a surrogate parent. Training for persons serving as surrogate parents will be provided by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the District.

Verona R-7 School District