Director of Special Educaiton
MISD Special Education - Ellis County Transition Expo
Resource information night for parents, students, families, caregivers, and professionals involved in the lives of students with disabilities. The expo will be May 20 from 6:30pm-8:00pm at MHS cafeteria. 
Click here for more information.
Midlothian ISD strives to provide appropriate programs for all students. The principle upon which the programs are established can be stated thusly:
"Each student is entitled to educational opportunities appropriate with individual abilities and needs."
MISD provides facilities, personnel and supportive services to aid students in learning at the pace and in the manner most appropriate with their capabilities.
Dedicated educators continually strive to plan, establish and implement special education programs which meet the needs of the growing community. As the needs of the population change, MISD modifies programs to meet student needs.
Preschool
Program Offered to Disabled Students
The Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities is provided by Midlothian
ISD to all eligible children.
Classes are held at T.E. Baxter Elementary and Mt. Peak Elementary schools.
If you have or know a young child who displays a significant cognitive, motor or language delay, or who has a severe medical problem, call the Special Education office at 972-775-8296.
Midlothian schools provide a full continuum of services for students with disabilities.
Special
Education Offered to Students with Disabilities
The Midlothian ISD provides special education for disabled children from
3-21 years of age (birth through 21 if visually or auditorially disabled),
as required by state and federal law.
The school district strives to provide appropriate programs for all students. The programs are established on the following principle: Each student is entitled to educational opportunities appropriate to his/her abilities and needs.
A variety of instructional arrangements are available such as self-contained classrooms, partially self-contained classrooms, content mastery/resource, and homebound. For information call Melissa Wolfe, Special Education Coordinator at 972-775-8296.
Child Find
Midlothian ISD is committed to providing quality special education services to every child with a disability who resides in our district or who attends a private or home school in our district. If you have a child age 3 through 21 and suspect your child has a disability, or, if you have a child age birth through 21 and suspect your child has a hearing impairment, please contact the Midlothian ISD Department of Special Education. We will work with you in determining if your child meets federal and state guidelines as a child with a disability. If your child is determined to be a child with a disability, we will work with you in developing appropriate special education services designed to meet your child’s educational needs. All our services are available free of charge.
For more information
visit
the TEA Child Find website or call the Midlothian Department of Special
Education at 972-775-8236.
Eligibility Criteria
Students from ages 3 through 21 (birth through 21 if visually or auditorially impaired) are eligible for special education services. Parents, teachers and other MISD staff identify and refer these students for a Full and Individual Evaluation (FIE). An Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) Committee determines the student’s eligibility and educational need based on state criteria.
Areas of Eligibility
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Other Health Impaired
• Auditory Impairment
• Visual Impairment
• Deaf-Blindness
• Mental Retardation
• Emotional Disturbance
• Learning Disability
• Speech/Language Impairment
• Autism
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Multiple Disabilities
• Non-Categorical Early Childhood
Resources
This media center contains a comprehensive collection of professional resources. Included are instructional materials, audiovisual equipment, and a professional library. Regular and special education teachers may utilize all materials.
Full and Individual Evaluations are available by appropriate referral to students residing within the Midlothian ISD. Evaluation personnel serve each school by administering evaluations, making recommendations for IEP development, and assisting school staff.
RELATED SERVICES.
MISD also provides occupational therapy, physical therapy, counseling,
behavior management, transportation, audiology, and orientation and mobility
to assist the disabled students in maximizing their educational benefits.
Services
Midlothian ISD endeavors to serve students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment which meets their educational needs. A variety of instructional arrangements permit effective student programming.
The following instructional arrangements/services are available:
MAINSTREAM/INCLUSION.
The general education program is modified through the use of
special education support services, supplementary aids, or other special
arrangements in the general classroom setting.
CONTENT MASTERY.
A special education teacher assists students with disabilities in the
general classroom and/or in a special educatoin classroom depending on
individual need.
RESOURCE.
Each student enrolled participates in the general school program
and receives the assistance of a special education teacher only in those
areas in which a specifically identified disability exists.
SELF-CONTAINED.
Students with disabilities receive instruction in a classroom with other
students with disabilities and instruction in mainstream classes in which
they can be successful.
PRESCHOOL PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES.
A special education teacher provides instruction to students (ages 3-5)
who meet one of the above areas of eligibility.
SPEECH THERAPY.
This service is provided by a speech therapist to those students
who qualify. Instruction is offered in both articulation and language
development.
COMMUNITY BASED INSTRUCTION.
A special education teacher provides instruction in daily living skills
within the classroom and the community. These students also participate
in the regular education program according to their abilities as determined
by the ARD Committee.
BEHAVIOR ADJUSTMENT
CLASS.
An ARD committee places students in this program to learn self
control techniques, appropriate school behavior and social skills, while
maintaining or remediating their academic skills. Students are mainstreamed
as skills improve.
HOMEBOUND
PROGRAM.
A teacher provides instruction to physically ill students in their homes.
This short-term service enables the student to keep up with assignments
and is not intended for minor illnesses.
TRANSITION
SERVICES.
This service is a coordinated set of activities for a student with a disability
that will prepare the student for successful living and vocational experiences
after leaving high school.
ASSISTIVE
TECHNOLOGY.
A team of special education professional assess a student’s need
for assistive device(s) that will enable the student to participate in
learning.
ADAPTIVE PHYSICAL
EDUCATION.
Students who cannot safely participate in grade level physical education
classes are assessed in gross motor skills progress and an IEP is developed
by the ARD Committee.
Special Notes
PARENTAL
INVOLVEMENT.
Parents are an important resource. Their participation is a vital component
of the total educational process. Parents and the school form a team
effort to provide quality services to exceptional children.
PRIVATE SCHOOL STUDENTS.
All state requirements concerning child find, referral, evaluation,
and determination of eligibility are applicable.
AWARENESS.
Community service providers are urged to make parents whose children
may be in need of special educational services aware that the services
described in this brochure are available through the public school.
Please contact the Special Education Department.
You Can Help:
-
If you think your child may have a disability, contact your school.
-
If you know of any other child who may need special services, notify your school.
-
Learn how special services are provided in your local school.
Students with Learning Difficulties
Options and Requirements For Providing Assistance to Students Who Have Learning Difficulties or Who Need or May Need Special Education
If a child is experiencing learning difficulties, the parent may contact the person listed below to learn about the district’s overall general education referral or screening system for support services. This system links students to a variety of support options, including referral for a special education evaluation. Students having difficulty in the regular classroom should be considered for tutorial, compensatory, and other academic or behavior support services that are available to all students.
At any time, a parent is entitled to request an evaluation for special education services. Within a reasonable amount of time, the district must decide if the evaluation is needed. If evaluation is needed, the parent will be notified and asked to provide informed written consent for the evaluation. The district must complete the evaluation and the report within 60 calendar days of the date the district receives the written consent. The district must give a copy of the report to the parent.
If the district determines that the evaluation is not needed, the district will provide the parent with a written notice that explains why the child will not be evaluated. This written notice will include a statement that informs the parent of their rights if they disagree with the district. Additionally, the notice must inform the parent how to obtain a copy of the Notice of Procedural Safeguards - Rights of Parents of Students with Disabilities.
The designated person to contact regarding options for a child experiencing learning difficulties or a referral for evaluation for special education is:
| Campus | Contact Person |
| T.E.Baxter | Diane Cooper |
| J.R. Irvin | Elizabeth Adkins |
| Mt. Peak | Sharla Wood |
| J.A. Vitovsky | Mary Curry |
| Longbranch | Carri Wilson |
| Frank Seale MS | Charles Snider, Kathy Wilbourn |
| Walnut Grove MS | Vanessa Gibson, Judy Gotcher |
| MHS | Andra Chapman, David Moore, Carol Lemmon, Hollye Hess, Laura Phillips, and Registrar: Harriette Fowler |