Under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the qualifying disabilities are: autism, visual impairment, hearing impairment, intellectual impairment, orthopedic impairment, emotional disability, specific learning disability, speech/language impairment, traumatic brain injury, developmental delay, multiple disabilities, deafness, deaf-blindness, and other health impairment.  To qualify for services under IDEA, a qualifying disability must adversely impact the student's educational progress and require specially designed instruction.  It is important to note that not all students with a disability will be eligible for special education services.

Students between the ages of 3-5 years old who reside within school district boundaries may participate in a developmental screening through Geneva's Early Learning Program. This screening will determine if the child is meeting developmental milestones in the areas of speech and language, academic readiness, social emotional readiness, and motor skills. 

 

If difficulties are detected from the screening, an evaluation may be initiated, with parental consent, in order to identify possible special education eligibility. To schedule a developmental screening, please contact the Geneva Early Learning Program at 630-444-8700 or visit their website for more information.

School-Age 

For students who are currently attending a school within the District's boundaries (including private/parochial and home-schooled students), the school team or parent may request that the child be formally evaluated to determine if the child is eligible for special education services.  If a parent suspects that their child has a disability, a letter should be submitted to the building principal that outlines their concern and request for an evaluation. If the child is a home-schooled student, the request should be sent to Jamie Benavides, Assistant Director of Student Services at [email protected].  To determine whether the student requires an evaluation, the school team may utilize screening data, prior standardized assessments, current grades, social emotional information and progress monitoring data if applicable.  The school team will either agree to or deny the request, in writing to the parent, within 14 school days.

In order to receive special education services, a comprehensive evaluation of the student must be completed. The evaluation process follows defined regulations to determine if a child has a disability and if the child requires special education and related services.  During the evaluation process, the District must consider the need to complete assessments in the following domains:

-academic performance

-functional performance

-cognitive functioning 

-communication

-health

-hearing and vision

-motor abilities

-social/emotional status

Parents must sign consent for the evaluation process to begin. Then, the school team must complete the evaluation and convene a meeting within 60 school days.

At this meeting, the results of the evaluation will be reviewed and considered by the school team and the child's parent/guardian(s).  These results will be utilized to determine whether the child is, or continues to be, eligible for special education and related services as a child with a disability as defined by federal and state law and the child's educational needs.  A copy of this full eligibility report will be provided to the parents.

If a child is found eligible for special education services, an Individualized Education Plan will be developed.  This plan will outline specific goals, accommodations and services that are needed to provide the student with a free and appropriate public education.

A full continuum of services is available to all students who qualify for special education and are registered in the Geneva School District.  Students may receive services in the regular education classroom, within a small group special education setting, through a specialized classroom or in a placement outside of the school district.  All schools are committed to providing services in the least restrictive environment.  This commitment provides the opportunity for children to participate in and benefit from the general education curriculum to the maximum extent appropriate.

Students who qualify for special education services may require related services to benefit from special education. These services may be provided by speech and language pathologists, school social workers, school psychologists, hearing itinerants, vision itinerants, teachers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, orientation and mobility instructors or adaptive physical education teachers.  It is important to note that related services are determined based on educational needs and differ in eligibility and services provided within a medical or clinical model.

The District maintains related service logs that document the type and number of minutes of related service administered under a student's individualized education plan (IEP).  These related service logs will be available to parents/guardians at a student's annual review IEP meeting.  Parents/guardians may also request a copy of any IEP related service log maintained for their child.  Please direct any requests for a copy of a related service log to Anne Scalia, Director of Student Services, at [email protected].

Local public schools, including Geneva 304 schools, do not provide the full range of special education services to students attending private/parochial schools or home-schools as they do for students in public schools.

Each Spring, the District meets with local participating private/parochial schools and home-schooling parents to discuss the types of services that will be provided by the District under Proportionate Share.  Through this agreement, students receive a specific amount of service, regardless of the severity of their disability.  Currently, Geneva School District provides speech and language services for up to eleven students under the Proportionate Share agreement.  These services are provided at the non-public school.  Once the caseload of (11) is reached, a waiting list is created.

If a private/parochial or home-schooled student qualifies for special education services, an eligibility determination documentation will be provided which will outline the student's eligibility and educational needs.  If a private/parochial or home-schooled student qualifies for special education services and is able to receive speech language services through the District's Proportionate Share agreement, an Individual Service Plan will be developed by the school team.  This plan will outline the speech language services that will be provided to the student.  Should a parent of a private/parochial or home-school student wish to access a greater level of support for their child (as recommended by the educational team), they may choose to enroll their child in the public school district or residence in order to receive the full range of services.