For students who may be suspected of having a disability, Phoenix Union High School District readily engages in Child Find activities to help locate, identify, and evaluate students who are ages 14 – 21. For students who are younger than 14, the elementary school district in your home residence would be responsible for Child Find activities.

Child Find activities apply to students who are:

• Suspected of having a disability even though they are advancing from grade to grade.

• Highly mobile, such as migrant and homeless families.

• Wards of the state.

• Private school students.

• Home schooled students.

PXU personnel provide outreach, consultation and support to parentally placed private day schools in a variety of ways. Child Find Powerpoint

Before a student with a suspected disability can receive special education or an Individualized Education Program (IEP), a psycho-educational evaluation needs to be conducted to determine if the student is eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). We begin with a review of existing data by a team. The multidisciplinary evaluation team (MET) would consist of the parent, the student if appropriate, at least one general education teacher, at least one special education teacher, a person to interpret instructional implications (typically a school psychologist), and a representative of the district. We welcome outside service providers and others who may have knowledge or expertise about the student to help in the review of existing data.

If additional data (testing) is required, the district is required to obtain parental consent for an initial evaluation. Together with parent input, the MET will review the data and make an eligibility determination. The MET must make a determination that is two-pronged : 1) The student has a disability. 2) The student is in need of specially designed instruction. If the student meets both criteria, the student is eligible for special education. The MET would have 60 days from the date of written informed consent to complete the evaluation process and confer eligibility. If a student is determined eligible for special education and related services, the school would convene an Individual Education Program (IEP) team to include the parent and student, as well as other team members recommended based upon the findings from the evaluation. The team is required to come together within 30 days to develop an IEP and have written parent consent for initial placement in to special education.

For more information on Child Find, please visit the Arizona Department of Education or Raising Special Kids.