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Special Education

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Special Services is the department that is responsible for providing many different services to the students of Tewksbury Township.

These services include:

Child Study Team services
Special Education
Speech and Language Services

Who Works in the Special Services Department?

Many professionals and instructional aides provide services to children through the Special Services Department, including the Child Study Team Supervisor and Child Study Team Secretary.

Learning Disability Teacher-Consultant
School Psychologist
School Social Worker
Speech and Language Pathologists
Occupational Therapists
Physical Therapists
School Nurses
Special Education Teachers
Special Education Paraprofessionals

Who is eligible to receive Special Services?

Any child between the ages of 3 and 21, whose parents are legal residents of Tewksbury Township and who is a potential candidate for services. Services are for students (ages 3-21) with educational disabilities or believed to have such disabilities.

How does a child become eligible to receive services?

A child between the ages of 3 and 21 can be evaluated by the Child Study Team to determine eligibility. Parents are encouraged to phone the Child Study Team Office to request further information (908-832-2594 ext 2006).

Any teacher who has a student who is having difficulty in school should first seek assistance from the school-based Intervention and Referral Services (I&RS) Team to find solutions to those difficulties. If all general education initiatives have been exhausted and those efforts do not solve the difficulty, the I&RS Team may make a referral to the Child Study Team. Parents are part of the process and are informed before any action is taken.

Parents/guardians have the option of making a direct referral to the Child Study Team, but working with the school-based I&RS is advised and an appropriate first step in most situations.

What is the Child Study Team process?

The process begins with the parent/guardian being notified, in writing, of a meeting with the Child Study Team. A booklet titled Parental Rights in Special Education(PRISE) (a link to the PRISE can be found on the CST webpage under parent resources), prepared by the New Jersey Department of Education, is also provided to the parent/guardian. This booklet advises parents of their basic rights and responsibilities in the procedure.

The first meeting is an initial planning meeting at which time all of the available student and teacher information is reviewed with the parent/guardian, the Child Study Team, the child’s teacher, and others who might have knowledge of the child and his or her difficulty in school. After the information is reviewed, a decision is made whether or not the child may have an educational disability. If there is agreement that an evaluation should be conducted, the nature and scope of the evaluation is discussed and written parental/guardian consent for the evaluation is required.

Each document that is prepared and/or signed is copied for the parent/guardian, and they are reminded throughout the process of their rights.

Members of the Child Study Team conduct individual evaluations based on their specialties. A written report is prepared and sent to the parent/guardian in advance of an Eligibility Meeting, held to discuss all of the evaluations and to receive the recommendations of the Child Study Team. Parents/guardians may bring others to any meeting if desired but should inform the Child Study Team which individuals will be present at the meeting.