SEARCH PROVIDERS

To be eligible for our services, a child must be between the ages of birth to three, reside in Allegany County and meet one of the following criteria:
 
Has a 25% or greater delay in any area of development;
Is developing in a way that is considered "atypical" for most children his or her age or;
Has a diagnosed condition that is likely to affect development
 
If you have concerns or questions about typical development in children from birth to age 3, please call the Infants and Toddlers office or review the developmental milestone links found under the Parent Information section. 

Special Education Department Goals

• Ensure that students with disabilities are provided access to the general education curriculum and extra -curricular activities in the regular education setting to the maximum extent possible with assistive supports to maintain the student in the appropriate public school that the student would attend if not disabled
• Ensure the participation of all students with disabilities in state, school system, or alternative assessments
• Ensure compliance with state and federal regulations regarding students' annual IEP reviews, re-evaluation procedures, and periodic program updates
• Using state and federal guidelines to maintain timely procedures for the identification processes for students suspected of having disabilities
• Promote collaborative practices across educational settings between regular staff, special educators and related service providers
• Maintain a constant effort towards continued staff development on current educational trends and educational issues
• Support and facilitate parent involvement/participation in the special education process
• Ensure participation in and dissemination of information concerning the transition process for students with disabilities and their parents
• Incorporate a formative evaluation process with a stakeholder advisory committee comprised of community members, local school system staff and parents, to maintain continuous improvement
• Collaborate with local, state, private, and community agencies to establish, implement and maintain local interagency planning of programs for students with disabilities

Restraint and seclusion are crisis management strategies that are used in many schools across the nation and the world. Physical Restraint, is exactly what it sounds like, it is a personal restriction that immobilizes or reduces the ability of a student to move his or her torso, arms, legs or head freely. Seclusion is the involuntary confinement of a student alone in a room or area from which the student is physically prevented from leaving. These interventions are dangerous and have led to serious injuries and even death in students, teachers and staff. According to federal guidance restraint and/or seclusion should never be used except in situations where a child’s behavior poses an imminent danger of serious physical harm to self or others, and restraint and seclusion should be avoided to the greatest extent possible without endangering the safety of students and staff. The important wording here is “serious physical harm”, these measures are not intended merely for unsafe situations, but rather to situations that could result in death or serious bodily injury. As such based on federal guidance restraint and seclusion should be exceedingly rare. However, it has been found that restraint and seclusion are occurring far more frequently in schools across the nation and are not always limited to situations that involve imminent serious physical harm.