The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that provides a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to eligible children with disabilities and ensures special education and related services through an Individualized Education Program (IEP) team process.  

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that provides a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to eligible children with disabilities and ensures special education and related services through an Individualized Education Program (IEP) team process. 

Individual Education Programs (IEPs): are plans that are developed to ensure that a student who has a disability identified under the IDEA receives specially designed instruction and related services as needed.

SDI (Specially Designed Instruction): this refers to the specialized interventions to increase a students’ skills in a targeted area:

• Academics: reading, written expression, mathematics
• Social, Emotional and/or Behavioral
• Related Services

These services may be provided by general educators, special educators, reading specialists, school counselors, school psychologists and a variety of therapists.  Our students receive services based on their academic, social, emotional behavioral needs.  Below are some of the services and supports our district is equipped to provide:  

• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Assistive Technology
• Services to students with vision and/or hearing impairments
• Group and Individual Counseling

Social, Emotional and Behavioral Supports/Services

Students who receive services through an IEP are provided Tier 1 (schoolwide) social emotional and behavioral support through MTSS.  When more intensive services are needed, the IEP team will meet to determine what additional services may be needed.  This can include the following:

• Group and/or Individual counseling services with IEP goals and/or consultative services
• Conducting a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA).  This is a process that identifies specific target behavior, functions of the behaviors, and what factors maintain the behavior that is interfering with the student’s educational progress
• Creating a Behavioral Support Plan (BSP).  This is a plan that is designed to prevent behaviors, teach replacement skills, and positively reinforce desired behaviors.  It describes the problem behavior, the reasons the behavior occurs, and the intervention strategies that will address the problem behavior.

Educational Settings

IEP teams must consider the setting in which a student with a disability can receive an appropriate education designed to meet their educational and social-emotional needs.  Students with disabilities receive their education alongside their peers without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate (their Least Restrictive Environment).  

The Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) is based on the amount of time a student spends in the general education setting and the amount of time a student spends in a special education setting.  The specific amount of time will vary by student and depends on the service model or a combination of models that meets the individual needs of the student.  Our schools provide a continuum of Least Restrictive Environment (LREs) settings ranging from A, B and C. 

• LRE A: Students in a LRE A setting are in the general education class for 80% or more of their school day.
• LRE B: Students in a LRE B setting are in the general education class between 40%-79% of their school day
• LRE C: Students in a LRE C setting are in the general education classroom less than 40% of their school day.

Child Find for Parentally-Placed Private and Home School Students is a state and local effort to find children, grades K-12, who are not currently enrolled in a public or charter school, and who may have disabilities which interfere with learning. 

Who can make a referral?

• Only parents or legal guardians may request an evaluation for their student. A private school may NOT refer a student or request an evaluation on behalf of a student. 

When can a referral be made?

• Child Find is an ongoing process and referrals for evaluations can be made at any time. 

Why an evaluation? 

• Evaluations assist in determining learning strengths and weaknesses and also to determine eligibility for special education services in the public schools. Evaluations are completed during the school year on instructional days. 

What can Child Find evaluate for?

• We can evaluate in all areas necessary to determine eligibility for any one of the following 12 educational classifications in the State of Delaware:
  • Autism
  • Deaf-Blind
  • Developmental Delay
  • Emotional Disability
  • Hearing Impairment
  • Specific Learning Disability
  • Mild Intellectual Disability
  • Moderate Intellectual Disability
  • Severe Intellectual Disability
  • Orthopedic Impairment
  • Other Health Impairment
  • Speech or Language Impairment
  • Traumatic Brain Injury 

What happens if my student is eligible for services? 

• If your student is determined to be eligible for special education services, these services may be accessed via an Individual Education Plan (IEP). Your student must be enrolled in the public school to access most, but not all, special education services. 

What services can be delivered to my student at school? 

• For the 2024-25 school year, Red Clay Consolidated School District is providing speech therapy services to address your student’s articulation and/or fluency needs. 

How can I get more information? 

• Contact the Student Services and Special Education department at Red Clay Consolidated School District, located at 1502 Spruce Avenue, Wilmington, DE 19805. Phone Number: 302-552-3773
• Contact the District Child Find K-12 Coordinator, Beth Chapman, via phone at 302-552-3767 or via email at beth.chapman@redclay.k12.de.us. 

What if my child has not entered kindergarten?

• For Child Find for students younger than kindergarten age, please see our Early Years Child Find Page.