The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) is a federal law that requires students with disabilities ages preschool through school age to receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). Fayetteville-Perry Schools provides a continuum of services to meet the needs of learners with special needs in their least restrictive environment.

Children must meet two criteria in order to receive special education:

1. The child must meet Ohio’s qualifications for one or more of the 13 disabilities listed in the IDEA:
   Autism, Deaf-Blindness, Deafness, Emotional Disturbance, Hearing Impairment, Cognitive Disability, Multiple Disabilities, Orthopedic Impairment, Other Health Impairment, Specific Learning Disability, Speech or Language Impairment, Traumatic Brain Injury, Visual Impairment

2. The student's disability must have an adverse effect on his/her academic performance to such a degree that special education and related services must be considered in order for the student to be successful in school.

*Not all children who have a disability require special education and related services. Many are able to participate in their classrooms with few or minor program modifications.

*It is important to note that RTI within a three-tier intervention model is also a part of special education eligibility decision-making required by 34 CFR 300.309 and 23 IAC 226.130

Child Find:

The Fayetteville-Perry School District’s adopted Child Find Policy requires that all children, up to 22 years of age residing within the district, who have a disability regardless of the severity of the disability, and who are in need of special education and related services are identified, located, and evaluated in accordance with all federal regulations and state standards.

For children birth through age two, a disability means that a child has a behavior, cognition, communication, physical development, sensory development and/or social or emotional development deficit.

For children age three through five years of age, a disability means that a child has a documented deficit in one or more of the following areas: communication skills, hearing abilities, motor functioning, social-emotional/behavior functioning or vision abilities.

For school-age children, a disability means a person having one or more conditions such as autism, developmental handicap, hearing handicap, multi-handicap, orthopedically and/or other health handicaps, emotional/behavior handicap, specific learning disability, traumatic brain injury or vision handicap.

If you are aware of a child who you think may have a disability, please contact Paula Wiederhold, Special Education Coordinator at 513-875-5077.

Notification to Parents of a child with a disability
"Your child may be eligible for a scholarship under the Autism Scholarship Program or the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program to attend a special education program that implements the child's individualized education program and that is operated by an alternative public provider or by a registered private provider."

The following is the phone number to the Ohio Department of Education and the office that is responsible for administering the scholarship programs.

For more information on the Autism Scholarship Program contact: 
Lisa Huckins
Office of Nonpublic Educational Options
(614) 466-5743
Toll-free: (877) 644-6338
E-Mail: autismscholarship@education.ohio.gov

For more information on the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program contact:
Ohio Department of Education
Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program
25 S. Front Street, Mail Stop 310
Columbus, Ohio 43215
peterson.scholarship@education.ohio.gov