The following information is provided about Exceptional Child Education (ECE) services at Anchorage School to help inform our families.

Contact Kristy Clark, Director of Special Education, with any questions you may have about the ECE program at Anchorage.

Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA)

The Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) was originally passed in 1975 and most recently reauthorized in 2007.  This act guides states in the provision of special education services for students with educational disabilities.

The Anchorage Independent School District has adopted local district procedures that describe how the school will implement services for students with disabilities.  The Anchorage Independent School Exceptional Child Procedures are approved by the Anchorage Board of Education and the Kentucky Department of Education. 

Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
Anchorage Independent School District provides a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to students with disabilities (ages 3-21) who reside in the Anchorage School District.  Special education services are at no cost to parents.

Disability Categories
IDEA sets forth 13 categories of educational disabilities.  A student may be eligible in one or more areas of disability.

• Autism
• Developmental Delay (DD)
• Deaf/Blind
• Emotional Behavior Disability (EBD)
• Hearing Impairment (HI)
• Multiple Disability (MD)
• Other Health Impairment (OHI)
• Orthopedic Impairment (OI)
• Mental Disability 1. Mild Mental Disability (MMD) 2. Functional Mental Disability (FMD)
• Specific Learning Disability (SLD)
• Speech and Language Impairment (SLI)
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
• Visual Impairment (VI)

Related Services
Services are available to all students meeting eligibility in one or more of the 13 disability categories.  Related services are also available based on individual student needs. Examples of related services include:

• occupational therapy
• physical therapy
• speech/language services
• transportation
• interpreting services
• behavior therapy

Child Find
Anchorage Independent School District includes the involvement of parents and the community in the Child Find process.  Child Find is a system to locate, evaluate and identify students with disabilities living in the Anchorage School District.

Admissions and Release Committee
The Admissions and Release Committee (ARC) is the decision making committee for students with disabilities.  Members of an ARC include the parent(s) of the student, a general education teacher, a special education teacher, and ARC Chairperson, and other members as appropriate.

Individual Education Program (IEP)
The Admissions and Release Committee (ARC) develops an Individual Education Program (IEP) for a student who meets eligibility for one or more disability areas. Members of an ARC include the parent(s) of the student, a general education teacher, a special education teacher, and ARC Chairperson, and other members as appropriate.

Special Education Procedural Safeguards
As the parent of a child who may receive special education services, you have certain rights that are guaranteed by federal law: the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  These rights include your right to participate in meetings dealing with the identification, evaluation, and educational placement of your child and the provision of a free appropriate public education.

Please click here to see the federal Special Education Procedural Safeguards.

Crusade For Children
Anchorage School is proud to be a WHAS Crusade for Children grant recipient. For more information of the WHAS Crusade for Children, please visit their website by clicking here.