New Fairfield Public School District

What is Special Education?

Special education means specially designed instruction developed in accordance with the regulations of the Commissioner, subject to approval by the State Board of Education offered at no cost to parents or guardians to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability including instruction conducted in the classroom, in the home, in hospitals and institutions, and in other settings.

Special education is available to preschool children and to school age children until graduation or age twenty-one, whichever comes first. If a special education student who has not graduated from high school turns twenty-one during the school year, his special education program must continue until the end of that school year. If a student turns 21 during July or August, the student continues at the high school the following year.

To be eligible for preschool special education, handicapped children must be three years old, and, upon completion of evaluations, it must be determined by the Planning and Placement Team that without special education, it is unlikely that the child will be able to make satisfactory educational progress when the child attains school age.

Teachers of special education provide direct instructional services to many handicapped children in our schools. The extent of a special-education teacher's involvement with a handicapped student will vary, depending upon the student's need for specially designed instruction.

All students with disabilities must participate in State and district-wide assessments, with appropriate accommodations and alternative assessments when necessary and as indicated in their respective Individual Education Plan (IEP).