The Hanover County School Board shall establish a program of services for students with disabilities as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and all applicable state and federal law. The program shall include a child-find process designed to identify, locate and evaluate those children from birth to 21 inclusive who may have disabilities and may need special education and related services.  The School Board shall ensure that a free appropriate public education will be available for all children and youth with disabilities, ages 2 through 21, who are residents of Hanover County.

The School Board shall ensure that students with disabilities and their parents or guardians are guaranteed the appropriate procedural safeguards in the process of identification, evaluation, placement, and provision of an appropriate education program. To the maximum extent appropriate, students with disabilities will be educated with children who are not disabled. Prior to the identification, evaluation, placement, or provision of a free appropriate public education to a disabled student, a full explanation of all procedural safeguards shall be made available to parents.

An Individualized Education Program (IEP) shall be designed and maintained for each child eligible for special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The program will be developed in a meeting with the child's teachers, parent(s), the student (when appropriate), a school division representative qualified to provide or supervise the provision of special education services and other individuals at the discretion of the parents or school division in accordance with state and federal law. This IEP shall be reviewed at least annually.

The IEP shall be inclusive of areas specified by state and federal statutes and regulations.

The School Board shall ensure compliance with the following requirements for special education and will provide support services and programs to achieve the following goals.

• A free appropriate public education will be available for each child, ages 2 to 21, inclusive, residing in the school division (FAPE).

• All children, ages 2 to 21, inclusive, residing in the school division who are disabled and need special education and related services are identified, located, evaluated and placed in an appropriate educational program (Child Identification) consistent with applicable law.

• Children with disabilities and their parents, guardians or surrogates are guaranteed procedural safeguards in the process of identification, evaluation, and educational placements (Procedural Safeguards).

• To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities will be educated with children who are not disabled (LRE).

• Confidential records of children with disabilities shall be properly maintained (Confidentiality).

• Testing and evaluative materials utilized for the purpose of classification and placement of children with disabilities are selected and administered so as not to be racially or culturally discriminatory (Protection in Evaluation Process).

• An individualized education program for each child with disabilities will be maintained (IEP).

• Surrogate parents will be appointed, when appropriate, to act as advocates to serve the educational interest of children, ages 2 to 21, inclusive, who are suspected of being or are determined to be disabled (Surrogates).

• A comprehensive system of personnel development, to include the in-service training of general and special education instructional and support personnel, related to the needs of children with disabilities is provided (CSPD).

• There will be on-going parent or guardian consultation (Parent Involvement).

• A full educational opportunity goal is provided for all children with disabilities from birth to age 21, inclusive, including appropriate career education, prevocational education, and vocational education (Full Opportunity).

Definitions
The term "children with disabilities" includes those children who are mentally retarded, learning disabled, seriously emotionally disturbed, hearing impaired, visually impaired, orthopedically impaired, other health impaired, severely and profoundly handicapped, speech or language impaired, preschool, autistic, multi-handicapped, or deaf/blind, and others as are from time to time defined as disabled under applicable law, who, because of these impairments, need special education and related services.
   

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