The West Mifflin Area School District is proud of the special education program and services we provide our students
with exceptionalities. The District operates all of our special
education classes while some services are provided through collaboration
with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit. The District has always operated
on the belief that exceptional students should be educated within the
District whenever possible. We provide programming for students with
various needs and exceptionalities.
Support Services include, but are not limited to the following:
Autistic Support
Learning Support
Life Skills Support
Physical Support
Emotional Support
Gifted Support
Speech/Language Support
Hearing Support
Occupational Therapy
Physical Therapy
WMASD
provides special education services to approximately 540 students. The
District maintains working relationships with a variety of community
agencies to ensure collaborative efforts of developing individualized
and appropriate programming for students. The WMASD frequently contracts
with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit and various private schools to
assist with providing educational services to students who may present
more extensive needs. This includes hearing and visually impaired
services.
Notification of Rights Under FERPA for Elementary and Secondary Students
The
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and
students over 18 years of age (“eligible students”) certain rights with
respect to the student’s educational records. These rights are:
(1)
The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within
45 days of the day the School receives a request for access. Parents or
eligible students should submit to the School principal (or appropriate
school official) a written request that identifies the record(s) they
wish to inspect. The School official will make arrangements for access
and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where
the records may be inspected.
(2)
The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records
that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate, misleading
or otherwise in violation of
the student’s privacy rights under FERPA. Parents or eligible students
who wish to ask the School to amend a record should write the School
principal (or appropriate school official), clearly identify the part of
the record they want changed, and specify why it should be changed. If
the School decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent
or eligible student, the School will notify the parent or eligible
student of the decision and advise them of their right to a hearing
regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding
the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent or eligible
student when notified of the right to a hearing.
(3)
The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable
information contained in the student’s education records, except to the
extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception,
which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school
officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a
person employed by the School as an administrator, supervisor,
instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff
and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the School
Board; a person or company with whom the School has contracted as its
agent to provide a service instead of using its own employees or
officials (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or
therapist); or a parent or student serving on an official committee,
such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another
school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a
legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an
education record in order to fulfill his or her professional
responsibility. Upon request, the School discloses education records
without consent to officials of another school district in which a
student seeks or intends to enroll.
(NOTE:
FERPA requires a school district to make a reasonable attempt to notify
the parent or student of the records request unless it states in its
annual notification that it intends to forward records on request.)
(4)
The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education
concerning alleged failures by the School District to comply with the
requirements of FERPA.
The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA are:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-5920
Staff
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