COMMON POLICY FOR FRANKLIN CENTRAL SUPERVISORY UNION
ST. ALBANS CITY, ST. ALBANS TOWN, FAIRFIELD,
BELLOWS FREE ACADEMY UNION DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL #48,
AND NORTHWEST TECHNICAL CENTER

Code G7

Educational Support System

Policy
It is the policy of the Franklin Central Supervisory Union and its member towns to provide a continuum of educational services through a comprehensive Educational Support System to increase the ability of the school to meet the needs of all students in the general education environment.

This policy will comply with the requirements of 16 V.S.A. §§ 2901, 2902,and 2904, and Rules 2194 and 2120.8.1.3.1 of the Vermont State Board of Education.

Definitions

  1. General education environment means school and non-school environments used for educational purposes by students with and without disabilities such as regular classrooms, school libraries, learning centers and community job sites.
  2. Accommodations means those evaluation procedures, curricula, materials or programmatic adaptations, behavior management interventions and supplementary aids and services that are necessary for a student to benefit from his or her education or to participate in co-curricular activities.
  3. Supplementary aids and services means special assistance, materials, equipment and other supports that are provided in regular education classes or other education related settings to enable students to be educated in the general education environment.

Implementation
Each school in the District shall develop a comprehensive system of education services to create an Educational Support System (ESS), designed and implemented in consultation with parents/guardian, to assist teachers in accommodating children in the regular classroom. The system shall consist of an Educational Support Team composed of staff from a variety of teaching and support service positions and shall incorporate a range of referral, support and remedial services as well as the means to determine the effectiveness of accommodations or services recommended by the Educational Support Team (EST).

  1. The ESS shall:
    1. Be integrated to the extent appropriate with the general education curriculum;
    2. Provide a range of support and remedial services including instructional and behavioral interventions and accommodations;
    3. Be designed to provide students with needed accommodations and supplementary aids and services regardless of their eligibility for categorical programs;
    4. Assist all students in working toward attainment of the Vermont Framework or comparable standards;
    5. Provide clear procedures and methods for handling a student who disrupts a class, including provision of educational options, support services and consultation or training for staff where appropriate;
    6. Ensure collaboration with families, community supports and the system of health and human services;
    7. Collaborate, to the extent appropriate, with families and community health and human services agencies to assist educators in meeting the academic needs of all students.
  2. The EST shall:
    1. Provide a procedure for timely referral for evaluation for special education or other categorical program eligibility when warranted;
    2. Be composed of staff from a variety of teaching and support services positions;
    3. Screen referrals of individual students to determine what classroom accommodations and supplementary aids and services had been tried;
    4. Determine whether any additional accommodations, supplementary aids and services, or referral to other public or private agencies may appropriately meet a referred student’s educational needs;
    5. Assist teachers in planning and providing supplementary aids and services and other accommodations to students in need of classroom supports or enrichment activities;
    6. Collaborate, to the extent appropriate, with families and community health and human services agencies to assist educators in meeting the academic needs of all students.
    7. Develop a means to determine the effectiveness of accommodations and supplementary aids and services provided through the ESS; and
    8. Maintain a written record of its actions.
  3. The Principal/Tech Director/Designee shall:
    1. Appoint the members of each school’s Educational Support Team;
    2. Provide professional development and other resources needed to enable the Educational Support Team and other School District personnel to implement the Educational Support System.
    3. On an annual basis provide information regarding the existence, purpose and function of the Educational Support System to parents or guardians;
    4. Develop and maintain written administrative procedures in accordance with state Board regulations to implement this policy;
    5. Complete and submit reports required by the Commissioner of Education to comply with Vermont statues and regulations;
    6. Provide to the School Board(s) in the District or Supervisory Union, including the SU Board, an annual report on the status of the ESS including
      1. the report to the Commissioner,
      2. information on the services and supports provided,
      3. the funding sources of the ESS,
      4. how the capacity of each ESS to meet its obligations has been addressed in school action plans, and
      5. the effectiveness of accommodations, supplementary aids and services provided through the ESS.
      This report will be provided to the Boards on the same date that the Commissioner requests the report.

 

  Fairfield Town City FCSU BFA
1st Reading: 11/12/07 11/14/07 12/13/07 11/15/07 12/04/07
2nd Reading: 12/03/07 09/10/08 08/14/08 11/19/08 08/12/08
3rd Reading: 08/18/08        
4th Reading:          
Date Warned: 09/04/08 10/30/08 09/02/08 03/20/09 08/22/08
Date Adopted: 09/15/08 11/12/08 09/11/08 04/01/09 09/02/08

Legal Reference(s):
Act 230 of the 1990 Vermont Legislature
Act 157 of the 1996 Vermont Legislature
Act 117 of the 2000 Vermont Legislature
16 V.S.A. §§2901, 2902, 2904 (General policy, ESS and EST)
16 V.S.A. §§ 2961 et seq. (Special education funding)
Vt. State Board of Education Manual of Rules & Practices §§2120.8.1.3.1, 2194

F:\Common Files\1POLICIES\FSCU\working\G7 Educational Support System.doc