Special Education
What is Special Education?
When a child receives special education, it means that a public school provides custom services and instruction specific to the needs of that student. Special education is available because of a federal law called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which provides students with disabilities and their parents special legal rights to receive these individualized learning opportunities. To be eligible, your child must have a disability as defined through federal and state guidelines, and as a result of this disability, your child must demonstrate an educational need for services.
Bell County Cooperative for Exceptional Children (Bell County CEC)
Holland ISD is a member of the Bell County Cooperative for Exceptional Children, which serves students with disabilities in the Troy, Holland, Rogers, Granger, and Bartlett Independent School Districts.
The “Co-op” works in collaboration with the five districts to provide Special Education programs and services for children identified with physical disabilities, mental disabilities, emotional and sensory impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairments, specific learning disabilities, deaf-blindness or multiple disabilities.
Child Find
Access to Child Find is part of your child's Free and Appropriate Public Education. Your child must have an educational need for services which cannot be provided in general education. The ARD Committee must determine how the disability affects participation in age appropriate activities.
Description/Purpose: The purpose of Child Find is to locate, identify, and evaluate children from birth to 21 years of age and their possible need for special education and related services. Child Find is a free referral and information service available through local education agencies, HISD, and Education Service Center Region XII.
Early Childhood: If you are a parent of a 3- to 5-year-old who is not enrolled at Holland Elementary, please contact Heather Dunnam at 254-657-2525.
School Age: If you are a parent of a five to 21 year old who is enrolled at an HISD campus, please contact your child's teacher or the campus principal, listed above, to begin the referral process.
Referral Process: Referrals may be initiated by parents, (ECI) Early Childhood Intervention agencies, or campus staff.
Students receiving services through ECI will be transitioned into the public school system starting as early as 120 days prior to their third birthday.
A physician or community agency may recommend that your child be referred for evaluation, however the parent must initiate the request with the district.
Eligibility: Your child must have a disability as defined through federal and state guidelines. As a result of this disability, your child must demonstrate an educational need for services.
DISABILITY CATEGORIES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
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Autism
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Deaf-Blind*
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Deaf or Hard of Hearing*
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Developmental Delay
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Emotional Disability
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Intellectual Disability
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Learning Disability
- Multiple Impairment
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Other Health Impairment
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Orthopedic Impairment
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Speech/Language Impairment
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Traumatic Brain Injury
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Visual Impairment*
*Services may begin at birth for children with visual and/or auditory impairments
Resources
The Special Education Information Center (SPEDTex) provides resources and interactive features for increasing family awareness of disabilities and special education processes, with the goal of improving partnerships between schools and families.
Contact information:
Phone: 1-855-773-3839
Email: inquire@spedtex.org
Live Chat: SpedTex website