Special Services

Child Find and Confidentiality

A free appropriate public education must be available to all children with disabilities. North Carolina Virtual Academy (NCVA) strives to identify, locate, and evaluate all enrolled children who may have disabilities. Disability, as stated in IDEA, includes such conditions as hearing, visual, speech, or language impairment, specific learning disability, emotional disturbance, cognitive disability, other health or physical impairment, autism, and traumatic brain injury. The process of identifying, locating, and evaluating these children is referred to as Child Find.

As a public school, we will respond vigorously to federal and state mandates requiring the provision of a free appropriate public education regardless of a child’s disability or the severity of the disability. In order to comply with the Child Find requirements, NCVA shall have procedures in place to ensure that all children with disabilities—including children with disabilities who are homeless children or are wards of the state, and children with disabilities regardless of the severity of their disability, and who are in need of special education and related services—are identified, located, and evaluated. To ensure that all NCVA students are properly identified and served, their parent or guardian will be asked Child Find questions at least twice. See the NCVA Exceptional Children Procedures Manual 7. Child Find Query [PDF] for the complete policy. 

Parent/Guardian permission and involvement is a vital piece in the process. NCVA is required to obtain informed written consent for any action requested. Consent is required to conduct an initial evaluation, to conduct a reevaluation, initial placement to receive Exceptional Children and related services on the IEP, and before disclosure of personally identifiable information that is subject to confidentiality. Additional information on consent to evaluate can be found in the NCVA Exceptional Children Procedures Manual as 9. Parent Consent [PDF].

Once a child has been identified as having a “suspected disability” or identified as having a disability, NCVA will ask for information about the child such as:

  • How has the suspected disability or identified disability hindered the student’s learning?
  • What has been done, educationally, to address the student’s learning needs?
  • What educational or medical information relative to the suspected disability or identified disability is available to be shared with the school?

This information may be obtained from the student, his or her parents, present or former teachers, therapists, doctors, or from other agencies that have information about the student.

All information collected will be held in strict confidence and released to others only with parental permission or as allowed by law. In keeping with this confidence, NCVA will keep a record of all persons who review confidential information. Parents have the right to review their child’s records per state mandate. NCVA policy, including procedures to protect the confidentiality of personally identifiable information used to meet special education requirements, is detailed in the Exceptional Children Procedures Manual as 3. Confidentiality [PDF]. 

As part of the Child Find process, some services may include a complete evaluation, a personalized education program designed specifically for the child, and a referral to other agencies providing special services. The Parent Student Handbook Rights of Children with Disabilities [PDF], along with the NCVA Exceptional Children Procedures Manual 1. Exceptional Children Program [PDF] note the Special Education Services (IEP) or Service Agreements (504 Plans) are available to students who have been identified with a disability and meet eligibility requirements. 

To assist in the local Child Find efforts, NCVA utilizes the available resources including news releases, posters, and brochures. Public notice of special services and programs is made in The News and Observer newspaper. Included below are Child Find documents, which have been posted in highly visible areas within NCVA’s Durham office and are displayed for easy public access in prominent locations.

We are committed to meeting the needs of children with disabilities.

NCVA accept referrals, according to Child Find provisions, from any source that suspects a child may be eligible for special education and related services per 71 Fed. Reg. 46636 (August 14, 2006). If you or someone you know has a suspected disability, please contact Stacey Bryant at ncvaspecialprograms@ncvacademy.org.

NCVA dispute resolution procedures, including mediation, State complaint procedures, and due process complaint and due process hearing procedures are included in the NCVA Exceptional Children Procedures Manual as 33. Dispute Resolution [PDF].

A professional translator may be requested at any time by contacting NCVA at 855.669.3660.