MODEL FORM - NOTICE OF PARENT RIGHTS AND INFORMATION RELATED TO SPECIAL EDUCATION

 [Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-76d was recently amended by Public Act 15- 209 and Section 277 of Special Session Public Act 15-5 to expand the scope of a school district’s obligation to provide notice to parents of children found eligible for special education of certain rights and other information related to special education. This notice must be provided “immediately upon the formal identification of any child requiring special education and at each planning and placement team meeting for the child.”  To comply with this revised law, we recommend that this notice be provided 1) at the initial eligibility PPT if the student is found eligible for special education; and 2) at each subsequent PPT. While the law provides that the notice must be provided “at each PPT,” we believe that providing the notice with an invitation to subsequent PPTs will satisfy the intent of the law, which is to give parents ample notice of their rights, which now includes the right to have their child’s paraprofessional at the PPT.  If the notice is provided prior to the PPT, the team should document that it was sent to the parent in advance of the meeting. Likewise, if the notice is provided at the PPT, the IEP should document that notice was provided at the meeting. If the parent/guardian/surrogate does not attend the PPT, the notice should be mailed with the IEP.]

[Board of Education/School Letterhead] 
NOTICE OF PARENT RIGHTS
State law (Section 10-76d(a)(8) of the Connecticut General Statutes) requires that upon the formal identification of a child as a student requiring special education, and at each planning and placement (“PPT”) meeting for such child, school districts must provide notice to the parents/guardians/surrogate parent of certain rights and other information/resources related to their child’s special education program.  In compliance with this law, please be informed of the following: 
1.	Information about the laws relating to special education and your rights under such laws is available through the Connecticut State Department of Education’s website at http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2626&q=320730#Legal.  The Procedural Safeguards in Special Education developed by the State Department of Education are also available online at:  http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/DEPS/Special/Prosaf.pdf.  

2.	You have the right to have an advisor of your own choosing and at your own expense be present at and to participate in all portions of the PPT meeting at which an educational program for your child is developed, reviewed or revised.  If you plan to bring an advisor to a PPT, the district kindly requests that you notify the district at least five (5) school days prior to the PPT of who you plan to bring to the meeting and what his/her role will be (e.g. advocate, friend, relative, attorney etc.) 

3.	You have the right to have the school paraprofessional assigned to your child, if any, be present at and to participate in all portions of the PPT meeting in which an educational program for your child is developed, reviewed or revised.  A request to have your child’s paraprofessional attend the PPT must be made at least five (5) school days in advance of the PPT meeting.

4.	If your child is of kindergarten age, you have the right under Section 10-184 of the Connecticut General Statutes not to enroll your child in kindergarten.  Specifically, Section 10-184 of the Connecticut General Statutes states:  “The parent or person having control of a child five years of age shall have the option of not sending the child to school until the child is six years of age and the parent or person having control of a child six years of age shall have the option of not sending the child to school until the child is seven years of age. The parent or person shall exercise such option by personally appearing at the school district office and signing an option form. The school district shall provide the parent or person with information on the educational opportunities available in the school system.”  Preschool-age children with at individualized education program (IEP) are already enrolled in the public school and are receiving a free appropriate public education (FAPE).   Therefore, five and/or six year old children with an IEP whose parents exercise their option of not enrolling their child in kindergarten at their public school, will not be eligible to continue to receive special education and related services because the child is no longer enrolled in a public school.

5.	Connecticut law requires that districts provide parents/guardians/surrogate parents with information and resources, created by the Connecticut State Department of Education, relating to IEPs, including information relating to transition resources and services for high school students.  The following list of information and resources may be helpful in understanding special education and the PPT process.  

•	Bureau of Special Education Resources, http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2626&q=320730

•	A Parent’s Guide to Special Education in Connecticut, http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/DEPS/Special/Parents_Guide_SE.pdf

•	IEP Manual and Forms (Third Revision October 2010),
     http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/DEPS/Special/IEPManual.pdf 

•	A Tool to Assist PPTs in Addressing the Unique Communication Needs of Students Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, Language and Communication Plan, http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/DEPS/Special/Language_Communication_Plan.pdf

•	Secondary Transition (Including Building a Bridge:  A Transition Manual for Students), http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2626&q=322676

•	Helpful CT Resources for Families, http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/DEPS/Special/Resources_Families.pdf

If you have any questions about the above information, or if you are unable to access any of the websites listed above and/or require a hardcopy of the Procedural Safeguards in Special Education, A Parent’s Guide to Special Education in Connecticut or the IEP Manual and Forms, please contact [PUPIL SERVICES/SPECIAL EDUCATION SUPERVISOR or OTHER APPROPOPRIATE CONTACT] at [TEL #].  

9.20.15