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Update given on T'ville special ed program "We have some high maintenance kids located in elementary and middle school," said Cheryl Martin, special education coordinator for the Thomasville City Schools System. "These children take (the time of) a lot of staff during the day. With inclusion (in the general school population) being a mandate, our teachers are spread thin. "That's not Thomasville's problem, that's nationwide." Martin, who is a 23-year veteran of special ed, gave an update Nov. 15 on the complicated rules local staff must deal with at the City Board of Education meeting in the Thomasville High School Library. The system received new state regulations in July 2007 under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). "We serve children from (age) three to 21," Martin said, under the "Child Find" program. There can be "early intervention services" from birth under two-years-old. "Once they hit their third birthday, if that child is referred to us and that child is found eligible for special needs services, we start servicing that child." The IDEA act now declares that "all special needs kids have to be involved with their non disabled peers," she said. The school will have contracts with local daycare centers, and the system provides speech, occupational and physical therapy. The Thomasville school system also has "a building based student support team," which evaluates atrisk academic students. An intervention plan is developed, and if "general accommodations" do not work, the students are referred to the special education staff. A parent can also refer a student for special attention. There is a 90-day process from referral to eligibility, Martin said. Permission must come from a parent, who also has guardianship. Then there are 60 days to determine if the student is eligible for special ed services. Then the staff has another 30 days to develop "an Individualized Education Plan." In the area of gifted students, one must have a 130 or above on the IQ test, she said. "It has to be a test that the state recognizes." There is a second grade screening program for gifted students. "Those teachers are usually on target" in choosing students fro the program, Martin said.
There is also an attempt to get more minority students into the gifted program.
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