After a referral is made to CCS by an IEP team, CCS must determine if the student is eligible for CCS services for medical reasons and, if eligible, CCS must follow special education assessment procedures and timelines. If CCS finds your child is ineligible, the CCS evaluation process stops. However, the school district is then required to assess your child to determine if services are needed for educational purposes.
If the therapy assessment determines your child needs CCS program services, CCS prepares a report and a therapy plan for discussion at an IEP team meeting.
The report and plan must include the following information:
Statement of your child’s present level of functional performance;
The proposed functional goals to achieve a measurable change in function or recommendations for services to prevent loss of present function and documentation of progress to date;
Specific related services required by your child, including the type of therapy, intervention, treatment, consultation, and monitoring;
Proposed initiation, frequency, and duration of the services; and,
Proposed date of medical evaluation.[1]
The district then convenes an IEP meeting. If the parent/guardian/other education rights holderagrees with the CCS report and therapy plan, the CCS recommended services will be included in an IEP. In addition, the team will write IEP goals related to the activities identified in the report.[2] The service initiation date, frequency, location, and duration must also be written into the IEP.[3] If CCS determines that your child does not need OT or PT for medical reasons, it must provide you and the district a copy of the assessment report which explains the reasons for that determination.[4] In addition, CCS must give you and the school district five days written notice of any decision to increase, decrease, stop, or change the services and an IEP meeting must then be held.[5]