SPECIAL EDUCATION
Welcome to the Lawrence County Schools Special Education & Section 504 page. This page includes information on special services for students with disabilities in LC schools. We welcome your comments and suggestions. If you need further assistance with finding information on special education programs, please contact us.
What is Special Education?
Special education is instruction that is specially designed and uniquely tailored to meet the needs of children with disabilities. Public schools must provide special education and related services (e.g. Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech) to eligible students with disabilities at no cost to the parents. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the law that gives qualified children with disabilities the right to receive special and related services in public schools. The IDEA applies to children from ages three to 21.
Is my child able to receive special education services?
Many parents wonder if their child might have a disability and if they would be eligible for special education services. The Admissions and Release Committee (ARC) follows a process to determine if a student qualifies for special education services. This process involves several steps and may look different depending on the individual child.
In Kentucky, an ARC may determine that a student qualifies for special education and related services in one or more categories.
These include:
Autism (AUT)
Deaf-Blindness (DB)
Developmental Delay (DD) three through age eight
Emotional-Behavioral Disability (EBD)
Functional Mental Disability (FMD)
Speech-Language Impairment (SLI)
Specific Learning Disability (SLD)
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Mild Mental Disability (MMD)
Multiple Disabilities (MD)
Visual Impairment (VI)
Orthopedic Impairment (OI)
Hearing Impairment (HI)
Other Health Impairment (OHI)
What is a Section 504 Plan?
If a child has been diagnosed with a disability that seems to be impacting their learning and behavior but does not qualify for an IEP, families and staff may want to consider a Section 504 plan. A 504 plan addresses the unique learning needs of a student with a disability and provides reasonable accommodations. More information about Section 504 plans is in the Parent and Educator Resource Guide to Section 504 in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools.
Preschool for Students with Disabilities
Kentucky's preschool education programs are available for all four-year-old children whose family income is no more than 160% of poverty; all three and four-year-old children with developmental delays and disabilities, regardless of income; and other four-year-old children as placements are available based on district decision.
Lawrence County’s preschool program is designed to be developmentally appropriate for young children. "Developmentally appropriate" is defined in law to mean that the program focuses on the child's physical, intellectual, social and emotional development, including interpersonal, intrapersonal, and socialization skills.
