The Millwood Public School District provides special educational and related services to handicapped students. These educational services are provided in the least restrictive environment. Materials and specialized instruction are provided to assist the handicapped student to benefit from the educational program. Special Education provides the opportunity for a student to advance at his/her own rate of development while striving toward educational goals within the limits of his/her ability.
The Millwood Public School District strives to employ competent professional personnel to implement various instructional programs. Teachers seek to work as a part of, not apart from, regular programs in bringing about education at its best.
The Special Education program seeks to develop policies and procedures that are in compliance with PL94-142, the "Education for All Handicapped Children Act," to provide a free and appropriate public education for all handicapped children.
Definition of Handicapped
Approximately 10% to 12% of children have mental, physical, speech, emotional or learning problems which make it difficult for them to be part of a school program without special help. In describing a child as handicapped, the emphasis should not be on the "disabilities" but on his/her "abilities".
Public Law 94-142 Defines Handicapped Children As...
"Those children evaluated as being mentally retarded, hearing//speech impaired, visually handicapped, seriously emotionally disturbed, orthopedically impaired, deaf-blind, multi-handicapped, or as needing special education and related services."
Children ranging in age from three through twenty-one (3-21) may be served. Those from birth through three years of age must be severely handicapped (50% delayed).
Millwood Special Services Department is committed to the goal of identifying and locating every handicapped child in the District who is not currently receiving special education or related services. If you have or know any special child from pre-school age to twenty-one (3-21) who is not currently receiving services, please call the Special Services Office at (405)478-0360.
Referrals for evaluation are made through the child's home school. Students who live in the District but do not attend Millwood schools may request services by contacting the Special Services Department.
To the maximum extent appropriate handicapped children will be educated with children who are not handicapped. Special classes, separate schooling or other removal of handicapped children from the regular educational environment will occur only when the nature and severity of the handicap is such that education in a regular classroom with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be satisfactorily achieved. Determination of Least Restrictive Environment is a team decision within the law. (P.L. 94-142)
Individualized Education Program (IEP)
Before a child can be placed in a special education program, an IEP/Services Plan must be written jointly by the parents and school personnel in a team meeting. The purposes of the IEP/Services Plan meeting and program are to:
1. provide for parental involvement in educational decisions
2. protect the rights of parents, children, and
3. assure that each handicapped child is provided special education and related services appropriate to his/her special learning needs. The IEP/Services Plan will be reviewed annually.
The right to an impartial due process hearing is guaranteed to the parents of a handicapped child if they disagree with the school's proposal to initiate or change, or refusal to initiate or change the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of their child or the provision of a free and/or appropriate education. A hearing before an impartial hearing officer will be held. If the parents disagree with the hearing officer's ruling, they may request an impartial review by the State Department of Special Education. If they disagree with the ruling by the impartial appeal officer from the State Department Education, they have a right to bring civil action in district court.
Trainable Mentally Handicapped
Educable Mentally Handicapped
Learning Disabled
Visually Impaired/Blind
Hearing Impaired/Deaf
Deaf/Blind
Emotionally Disturbed
Multi-handicapped
Physically Handicapped
Other Health Impaired
Speech Therapy
Physical Therapy
School Psychology
School Psychometry
Millwood will offer transitional training for all special education students prior to their sixteenth birthday. Students will be placed in a vocational training program.
Multi-handicapped classes for children with two or more major handicaps whose needs can best be met in this type of program.
Children who are homebound must fall in one of the two categories listed below to participate in this program:
A. Children with severe handicapping conditions, who have never attended school; and
B. Children with an illness or handicapping condition who will be absent from school at least two weeks.
