Special Education

Education of Children with Disabilities

It is the intent of the district to ensure that students who are disabled within the definition of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act are identified, evaluated and provided with appropriate educational services.

The School provides a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment and necessary related services to all children with disabilities enrolled in the school. The term “children with disabilities” means children between ages 3 and the day before their 22nd birthday for whom it is determined that special education services are needed, except those children with disabilities who turn 22 years of age during the school year are eligible for special education services through the end of the school year. It is the intent of the school to ensure that students with disabilities are identified, evaluated, and provided with appropriate educational services.

A copy of the publication “Explanation of Procedural Safeguards Available to Parents of Students with Disabilities” may be obtained from the school district office.

Students with disabilities who do not qualify for an individualized education program, as required by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and implementing provisions of this Illinois law, may qualify for services under Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 if the student (i) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, (ii) has a record of a physical or mental impairment, or (iii) is regarded as having a physical or mental impairment.

For further information, please contact:

Jennifer Pacheco 
Assistant Superintendent of Special Services
10150 Dee Road, Des Plaines
847.299.1900

Discipline of Students with Disabilities

Behavioral Interventions

Behavioral interventions shall be used with students with disabilities to promote and strengthen desirable behaviors and reduce identified inappropriate behaviors.  The School Board will establish and maintain a committee to develop, implement, and monitor procedures on the use of behavioral interventions for children with disabilities.

Discipline of Special Education Students

The District shall comply with the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 and the Illinois State Board of Education’s Special Education rules when disciplining special education students. No special education student shall be expelled if the student’s particular act of gross disobedience or misconduct is a manifestation of his or her disability.

Isolated Time Out, Time Out, and Physical Restraint

Isolated time out, time out, and physical restraint shall only be used if the student’s behavior presents an imminent danger of serious physical harm to the student or others, and other less restrictive and intrusive measures were tried and proven ineffective in stopping it. The School may not use isolated time out, time out, or physical restraint as discipline or punishment, convenience for staff, retaliation, as a substitute for appropriate educational or behavioral support, a routine safety matter, or to prevent property damage in the absence of imminent danger of serious physical harm to the student or others. The use of prone restraint is prohibited.

Exemption from Physical Education Requirement

A student who is eligible for special education may be excused from physical education courses in either of the following situations:

He or she (a) is in grades 3-12, (b) his or her IEP requires that special education support and services be provided during physical education time, and (c) the parent/guardian agrees or the IEP team makes the determination; or

He or she (a) has an IEP, (b) is participating in an adaptive athletic program outside of the school setting, and (c) the parent/guardian documents the student’s participation as required by the Superintendent or designee.

A student requiring adapted physical education will receive that service in accordance with the student’s Individualized Education Program.

Request to Access to Classroom or Personnel for Special Education Observation or Evaluation

School District 63 shall afford a parent/guardian of a child receiving or being evaluated for special education services reasonable access to educational facilities, personnel, classrooms, and buildings to observe his or her child in the school setting or to visit an educational placement or program proposed for his or her child. The School District shall also permit an independent educational evaluator, or a qualified professional retained by or on behalf of a parent/guardian or child, reasonable access to the District’s educational facilities, personnel, classrooms, and buildings and to the student in order to conduct an evaluation of the child, the child's performance, the child's current educational program, placement, services, or environment, or any educational program, placement, services or environment proposed for the child. 

To minimize disruption, reasonable access means that the parent(s)/guardian(s) or qualified professional retained by or on behalf of a parent/guardian or child is allowed access once per school quarter for up to one hour or one class period. A visitor may request the authorized administrator to grant longer, or additional observations based on individual circumstances and provide any supporting documentation in support of such a request. A professional evaluator can request longer or additional observations in his or her initial request. The administrator may grant, deny, or modify the request, and the administrator’s decision shall be final. All individuals who visit a District School for these purposes must abide by these Procedures.

Before visiting a school, school building, or school facility, a visitor must complete 6:120-AP2, E1, Request to Access Classroom(s), or Personnel for Special Education Evaluation and/or Observation Purposes.

This form serves to:

• Inform the Building Principal or designee in writing of the proposed visit(s), the purpose, and the duration, and
• Identify requested dates/times for the visit(s) to facilitate scheduling.

Related Service Logs

For a child with an individualized education program (IEP), the school district must create related service logs that record the type of related services administered under the child’s IEP and the minutes of each type of related service that has been administered. The school will provide a child’s parent/guardian a copy of the related service log at the annual review of the child’s IEP and at any other time upon request.

PUNS (Prioritization of Urgency of Need for Services) Database Information for Students and Parents or Guardians

The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) maintains a statewide database known as the PUNS database (Prioritization of Urgency of Need for Services) that records information about individuals with intellectual disabilities or developmental disabilities who are potentially in need of services.

IDHS uses the data on PUNS to select individuals for services as funding becomes available, to develop proposals and materials for budgeting, and to plan for future needs. The PUNS database is available for children with intellectual disabilities or developmental disabilities with unmet service needs. 

Registration to be included on the PUNS database is the first step toward receiving developmental disabilities services in this State. A child who is not on the PUNS database will not be in the queue for State developmental disabilities services.

For more information and to sign up for PUNS, see the Illinois Department of Human Services PUNS information page at IDHS – PUNS Homepage. You may also contact the following District employee for assistance:

Jennifer Pacheco
Director of Special Services
847.299.1900