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Frequently Asked Questions Special Education

Special Education (SPED)

Questions:

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Question 1
We are asking at this time for an extension to get this SPED Census report into the Department of Education so that our funding is not suspended or delayed in any way. Please let me know the status of the extension.
Answer to Question 1
The statutes define due dates for different reports. We do not have the authority to allow extensions.

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Question 2
Our school district has 6 severely handicapped children that we tuition to the another LEA because we do not have the facilities to service them in our district. Our Director of Special Education was told that our district should enter them on the census, using this LEA as the `District of Attendance’ (DOA) and our school district as the `District of Residence’ (DOR). That LEA believes they should enter them (using us as district of Residence), not us. Can you solve this?
Answer to Question 2
The district of attendance should always be the CTD number of the district and school number where they are attending and the resident district CTD number in the district of residence field.

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Question 3
I have about ten records that were entered but we received a service type warning on, or perhaps we needed to make a birthdate or withdrawal date change. All records were originally accepted. I first tried to send them in with a “C” for change, and they came back rejected with “Service Type Field Not Allowed”. I then reread the instructions, sending the original lines with a “D” for delete, and then new lines with “E” to reenter that information. They also came back rejected, with “Ethnicity….GenderValue…Service Type…HomeSchool…BirthDate Fields Not Allowed”. How can I change the information on these records?
Answer to Question 3
For a delete transaction all that is required is the District of Attendance, School Number, Student number and the disability category. For a Change transaction the Service type is not a required field.


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Question 4
A student was withdrawn and placed in residential treatement center. I am not familiar with the voucher system or financial working of special education. I put him as withdrawn but did not re-enter him as residential due to no academic achievement due to behavior. Please advise if I need to correct this.
Answer to Question 4
Questions regarding voucher program need to be referred to Exceptional Student Services.

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Question 5
An LEA #1 is a transporting district only. The students are transported to a different LEA #2 so any #1 students would be included in their reporting.
Answer to Question 5
No. A transporting school district tuitions their students to the nearest school district and that school district then reports those student as residents of the transporting school district. The only time the attending school district would claim these students as their own would be if they are taking them under open enrollment.

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Question 6
At what age does a preschool become eligible for state aid funding?
Answer to Question 6
Students who are within 90 days of their 3rd birthday may be reported for PSD and P-SD for inclusion in the calculation of DSL and RCL.

A.R.S. §15-771 defines as preschool child as being 3 years old and states that a child is 3 years old on his 3rd birthday. This section of statute further indicates that a governing board may admit a child if he/she is within 90 days of his/her 3rd birthday and are entitled to the same services as a student which is already 3 years old.

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Question 7
A question regarding EDP has come up. A student was attending a ED-P school and now is incarcerated. Relative to state funding, is a secure facility able to carry that label if they implement all the services outlined on the IEP? In other words, can a secure care facility claim EDP on their census?
Answer to Question 7
Students with emotional disabilities who attend approved private schools are classified as EDP to help differentiate from those who attend public schools. However, many public/local education agencies opt to have an EDP program on their campus to accommodate these students rather than sending them to a private school.

Public/local education agencies (including secure care facilities) that have or plan to have an EDP program must provide to ESS a written description of the program that addresses the criteria outlined in the attached document. Approval is then given based upon criteria being met.