In compliance with state and federal law, notice is hereby given by the Union School District that it conducts ongoing identification activities as a part of its school program for the purpose of identifying students who may be in need of special education and related services. If your child is identified by the district as possibly in need of such services, you will be notified of applicable procedures. Individualized services and programs are available for children who are determined to need specially designed instruction due to the following conditions:

• Autism
• Deaf-blindness
• Deafness
• Emotional disturbance
• Hearing impairment
• Intellectual Disability
• Multiple disabilities
• Orthopedic impairment
• Other health impairment
• Specific learning disability
• Speech or language impairment
• Traumatic brain injury
• Visual impairment
• Mentally gifted

Independent Educational Evaluations (IEE)

In accordance with Part 300 of the Federal Regulations (§ 300.502), parents/guardians have the right to request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) if they disagree with an evaluation conducted by Union School District.

An IEE is an evaluation completed by a qualified examiner who is not employed by the District.

Requests for an IEE must be made in writing to the Director of Special Education within one (1) year of the District’s Evaluation Report (ER). The District will review the request and respond in writing with approval or denial. In some cases, the District may initiate a due process hearing to demonstrate that its evaluation is appropriate. If the evaluation is deemed appropriate, parents/guardians may still obtain an IEE, but not at public expense.

If a parent/guardian obtains an IEE at private expense, the results will be considered by the District if the evaluation meets District criteria and may be used in decisions regarding the student’s Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).

If an IEE is approved at public expense, the evaluation must meet the same criteria used by the District, including the following:

• Conducted within 30 miles of Union School District and within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• Completed by a properly certified or licensed professional (Pennsylvania-certified school psychologist where required)
• Total cost not to exceed $500 without prior District approval
• Evaluator credentials must be provided to the District
• Written permission must be granted for communication between the evaluator and the District
• An original, signed, typewritten report must be submitted directly to the District
• A 45-minute school observation and staff input are strongly encouraged

The evaluation report must include standard and scaled scores, descriptions of student behavior during testing and in the school setting, analysis of results, and specific educational recommendations.

All evaluation tools and procedures must be free from bias, administered in the student’s native language when feasible, valid and reliable for their intended purpose, and aligned with professional standards. Assessments must focus on specific areas of educational need rather than general scores alone.

For questions or to submit a request, please contact the Director of Special Education at 814-473-3121 x6.