Frequently Asked Questions

SWE is an acronym that stands for Students with Exceptionalities. Our school district uses this label as a more positive way to address students who have been identified as meeting criteria for gifted, talented or special education.

According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the term “special education” means specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability. The IDEA defines the term “related services” to mean transportation, and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services as may be required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education. Some other examples of related services are counseling services, interpreting services, physical and occupational therapy, and school health services. In order to be eligible for special education and related services, students must be evaluated and found eligible for one or more disabilities.

Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE): Special education and/or related services designed to meet the individual needs of each student at no cost to you, guaranteed to all eligible students with disabilities by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

• If you believe your child requires special education services for an exceptionality (disability/gifted/talented), please contact your child’s school, if enrolled in a STPPS Public School, or for nonpublic school or homeschooled children: (985) 202-0127. 
• For children aged 3-5 not enrolled in public school: (985) 690-4423. 
• If you have additional questions, please contact the Pupil Appraisal Services at (985) 898-3311.

Pupil Appraisal Program

Early Childhood Program

Infant Toddler Transition Program

• If you think that your STPPS student may be gifted and want to have them screened for possible evaluation for the Gifted Program, please contact your child’s teacher.
• Parents of non-public school students interested in gifted screening should contact Pupil Appraisal at 985-605-5013.
• Parents of non-public school preschool children interested in screening and referral should contact Child Search at 985-202-0127.

Gifted Program

• The Talented Arts Program is a part of the SWE (Students with Exceptionalities) Department in St. Tammany Parish Public Schools. 
• In order to participate, a student must first receive a referral to be screened from a teacher or through a written request from a parent/legal guardian to the school.
• Once referred, a parent/legal guardian must obtain from the school and sign the “Parent Permission Form for Talented Screening” in order for the student to participate in a school level screening.
• The student must then pass the screening and then a state evaluation to receive a classification of talented in either art, theatre or music. Both the school level screening and state evaluation process follow guidelines outlined by the Louisiana State Department of Education.

Talented Arts Program

• Does the child have a particular category of disability?
• How is the child currently performing in school?
• What are the child’s educational needs?
• Does the child need special education and related services?
• What additions or modifications, if any, are needed to enable the child to meet annual goals in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) and participate, as appropriate, in the general curriculum? 

• Before a child is evaluated for the first time, the school must notify the parents. The notice describes any evaluation that the school proposes to conduct. 
• The parents must give their informed consent for the child to be evaluated. 
• The next step involves gathering and reviewing existing information on the child by an IEP team. This includes evaluations and information provided by the parents, current classroom-based assessments and observations, and teacher and other service providers’ observations. 
• After the information is reviewed, if the questions listed above still need answers, additional tests and evaluations will be given.

An “Individualized Education Program” is a written plan for a child with an exceptionality that spells out the special education and related services to be received. The team that develops the IEP is composed of the parents, school professionals, and the student when appropriate. This is done at a meeting that is scheduled at a mutually agreeable time. The written document is a record of the IEP meeting. The IEP is reviewed every year.

• Participating as an active member of the IEP, sharing thoughts and ideas about the educational needs of your child.
• Asking for an explanation of information and terminology that you do not understand.
• Telling staff if information that is given does not sound like your child.
• Asking for explanations, advantages and disadvantages of services or programs that are proposed.
• Asking what you can do at home to help your child reach the IEP goals that are set. 
• The length of the meeting may vary. Additional time may be needed at a second meeting in order to address individual needs of the student. 
• Ask for a copy of the IEP at the end of the meeting.
• Be sure you understand the contents of the evaluation and the IEP before you sign it. You may take it home to consider it for a day or two, if needed.
• You are encouraged to bring a friend or relative who is knowledgeable about your child and can talk things through with you as needed. It is also acceptable to contact a parent advocate who can attend the meeting with you and act as a support person to you about special education laws and procedures.

Be Prepared

When students are involved in determining the goals and objectives, they have more commitment to achieving them. Each student should have the option to be a part of the process. Students are a part of their transition planning starting at age 14. These plans are updated annually. Students who are age 17 are notified that their rights will be transferred to them upon reaching the age of majority (18). 

Disagreements can be viewed as a sign that there are a number of people who care about the child, but have different points of view. It is important that all members of the team work together to resolve areas of disagreement. It may be necessary to: 

• Stop and listen to make sure that each person's point of view is heard.
• List areas of disagreement and address them one at a time.
• Request that an IEP facilitator participate in the meeting.

IEP Facilitator List by School

Meet Our Team

• Reconvene the meeting after questions have been answered or more information is obtained. However, the school district has the responsibility to assure that an appropriate program is designed and implemented for the child. 
• If, at the end of the meeting, you as the parent are not in agreement with the IEP plan, refer to the STPPS rights booklet insert for more contact options.

Know Your Rights

LRE (Least Restrictive Environment) looks at the setting in which the child receives an education. The law presumes that children with disabilities are most appropriately educated with their nondisabled peers. Attending special classes or separate schools, or removing children with disabilities from the regular classroom, occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability prevents the student from achieving satisfactorily even when supplementary aids and services are used.

• Parents have the opportunity to provide information and participate in decision making at meetings related to identification, evaluation, educational placement, reevaluation, and the appropriate education of the child.
• Parents give consent for initial evaluations and reevaluations.
• Parents will receive reports on their child’s progress every 9 weeks.
• Parents must notify the school district if they intend to remove their child from the public school or of their intent to file a complaint.

• Don't be a stranger at school.
• Visit the school and get to know the teachers and principal.
• Visit your child's classroom.
• Participate in the normal school activities. Both you and your child remain members of the school community. Go to open houses and after-school events and participate in school and class volunteer opportunities.
• Keep positive communication going with teachers. Share information that you have about medical issues, behavior changes and family events. Report on gains in skills that you see at home.
• Request a conference with your child's teacher, a new IEP meeting or an updated evaluation if you believe that there are other issues to address with school staff.
• Keep the IEP report, progress reports and other educational records together for your reference.

Transfer of Parental Rights When a student with a disability reaches the age of majority, which is age eighteen in Louisiana (except for a student with a disability who has been determined, under applicable state laws, to lack the capacity to make educational decisions), the LEA must: 1. Provide any notice required to both you and your child; 2. Transfer all other rights accorded to you to your child; and 3. Transfer all rights accorded to you to your child who may be incarcerated in an adult or juvenile, state, or local correctional institution.