Overview

Overview

Fox Chapel Area School District is proud of its lengthy history of delivering a full continuum of services and programs to students. The District's goal is to provide appropriate programs and services for students with disabilities by facilitating collaborative efforts among parents, teachers, students, therapists, administrators, and other support personnel. Levels of intervention, goals, accommodations, modifications and specially designed instruction are based on student need and are determined by the IEP team. Special education in the FCASD has been organized around the premise that special education provides comprehensive supports and services to eligible students in the least restrictive environment. Teachers, therapists, and paraprofessionals deliver these services in typical settings with non-disabled peers to the greatest extent appropriate.

All special education professional and paraprofessional staff are highly qualified. FCASD is committed to ongoing professional development for all staff members. Extensive training in differentiation has been presented to all teachers and a differentiated curriculum is taught in all settings targeting differing readiness levels of students. Reading and math skills are taught in small group settings, based on instructional needs rather than eligibility for special education. At the high school, core content classes are co-taught with special education and content area teachers. Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is currently in place in all elementary and middle schools. Students receive reading, language arts, math, social/emotional, and behavioral interventions based on need, regardless of disability.

Responding to needs expressed by various sources of feedback, FCASD has delivered a wide range of in-service programs to staff members and parents, purchased and implemented research-based reading, language arts and math programs, and integrated assistive technology into its classrooms. In order to promote independence and gain access to the general education curriculum, the district promotes the use of all types of supportive tools and equipment. Assistive technology is an important part of the special education support system.

Data from a wide range of assessments are analyzed and used by special education teachers and teams to assist in the development or revision of IEP goals. In addition to addressing academic needs, the district offers a variety of individual and group counseling services including social skills and social thinking training.

For students who have significant disabilities, FCASD maintains classrooms that allow for specialized intensive teaching and opportunities for inclusion with peers. These classrooms support students with autism and significant intellectual disabilities and receive consultative services from local experts. Relationships between regular education students and special education students are fostered through the best buddies and peer supports programs.

In its commitment to assure that all students are college and career ready, FCASD has made a commitment to have successful post secondary transitions for special education students. More than 80% of students with IEP's go on to post secondary education. Special education teams including the transition coordinator work with families and students in order to ensure that options are presented and explored.

Special Education Plan

Fox Chapel Area School District's special education plan for 2022-2025 is now available for review. Please send all questions, comments, and other feedback to Dr. Timothy Mahoney, Fox Chapel Area director of special education and pupil services, at timothy_mahoney@fcasd.edu.

Act 55 of 2022 Student Enrollment Notification Form for the 2022-23 School Year

On July 8, 2022, Governor Tom Wolf signed Act 55 of 2022 into law. This Act permits the following for the 2022-23 school year:

• A student with a disability who was enrolled during the 2021-22 school year and turned age 21 (either during the 2021-22 school year or between the end of the 2021-22 and the beginning of the 2022-23 school year) may attend a school entity during the 2022-23 school year and receive services as outlined in their most recent Individualized Education Program (IEP) with all the protections under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
   

To qualify for an additional year, a student had to be enrolled in one of the following school entities in Pennsylvania during the 2021-22 school year: a school district, intermediate unit, area career and technical school, charter school, cyber charter school, regional charter school, approved private school, or chartered school for the education of the deaf and blind.

Parents/guardians and students interested in the above option for the 2022-23 school year must submit this Act 55 of 2022 Student Enrollment Notification Form to the school entity that the student will attend in the 2022-23 school year on or before August 1, 2022. Do not submit the form to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE).