Notices & Policies Services and Rights for Students with Disabilities
Services and Rights for Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities have protections and rights under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and, when diagnosed with an educational disability that requires special education services, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
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; highly mobile children, such as migrant and homeless children; 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 Ritenour School District, in partnership with the Special School District of St. Louis County (SSD), assures that a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) is provided to all eligible children with disabilities between the ages of three and 21 under their jurisdiction. Disabilities include autism, deaf/blindness, emotional disorders, hearing impairment and deafness, mental retardation, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairments, specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment/blindness, and a young child with a developmental delay.
The Ritenour School District, in partnership with the SSD, assures that it will provide information and referral services necessary to assist the State in the implementation of early intervention services for infants and toddlers eligible for Missouri’s First Steps Program. The Ritenour School District, in partnership with the SSD, assures that personally identifiable information collected, used, or maintained by the districts 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). Parents may request amendment to the education record if the parents believe the record is inaccurate, misleading, or violates the privacy or other rights of their child. Parents have the right to file complaints with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education or the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the districts to meet the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
The SSD, in partnership with the Ritenour School District, has developed a local Compliance Plan for implementation of State Regulations for the IDEA. This Plan and board policies contain the district’s procedures regarding storage, disclosure to third parties, retention and destruction of personally identifiable information and the district’s assurances that services are provided in compliance with the General Education Provision Act. This Plan is available for public review in the Office of the Superintendent of Schools during regular school hours on days school is in session.
No later than December 1 of each year, the Ritenour District is required to conduct a census of all children with disabilities or suspected disabilities who are under twenty-one years of age and reside in the District. Information obtained is treated as confidential and must include: the child’s name; parent/legal guardian’s name and address; birth date and age of the child; the child’s disability; and the services provided to the child. Non-public school parents and other residents are encouraged to assist with the identification of children with a disability who attend non-public schools, those who are below school age, and those who do not attend any school, by contacting the Administrator for Academic Services at (314) 493-6010 or the SSD at (314) 989-8100.
This notice will be provided in native languages as appropriate.