Special Education & Student Services Department
The Department of Special Education and Student Services is responsible for programs and services for students identified with special needs. Evaluation procedures for special education eligibility are designed to identify the existence of disabilities as defined in federal and state guidelines. Services include programs in each city school that meet federal and state regulations related to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Child Find activities are implemented through the early intervention teams and the Child Study Committee in each school to address the needs of individual children who are having difficulty in educational settings. The committees review data to make recommendations and review the results of implemented recommendations. The committees may refer children for evaluation for special education.
Program Goals
The Charlottesville City Schools provides comprehensive services to students with disabilities between the ages of 2 to 21 in their Least Restrictive Environment. Support and related services are provided, as needed, to assist a student with a disability in benefitting from a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). FAPE refers to special education and related services that are:
- Provided at the public expense, under public supervision and direction, and without charge
- Meet the standards of the Virginia Board of Education
- Include preschool, elementary school, middle school or secondary school education; and
- Are provided in conformity with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
Children Served
Students can receive special education services if they have been identified with autism, deaf-blindness, deafness, developmental delay, emotional disturbance, hearing impairment, intellectual disabilities, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, specific learning disability, speech/language impairment, traumatic brain injury, or visual impairment.