Exceptional Student Services

Public Notice: Destruction of Special Education Records

Public Notice: Destruction of Special Education Records

American Leadership Academy would like to make Parents/Guardians, Former Students, and Eligible (Adult) Students aware that Special Education records of students who graduated or withdrew will be disposed of after 5 years.

Special Education records collected by American Leadership Academy, include documentation of the identification, evaluation, educational placement, original signatures, or the provision of Special Education in the district. In accordance with the General Records Retention Schedule Issued to All Arizona School Districts and Charter Schools, these records must be maintained for a period of 4 years after Special Education Services have ended for the student. Special Education services end when the student is no longer eligible for services, graduates or completes his or her educational program at age 22, or withdraws from the district.

This notification is solely to provide awareness to the students who graduated or withdrew after 5 years. If no student, parent or guardian responds to this public notice, the school district will assume consent to destroy all Special Education records specific to the student after the 5 years have passed. Requests of student records can be emailed to the administrative assistant in the ESS Department at American Leadership Academy, essrecords@alaschools.org.

Exceptional Student Services

American Leadership Academy strives to offer the best education to all our students, regardless of need or ability. Through ESS, or Exceptional Student Services, we provide customized support for K-12 students with disabilities.

We treat our students as family; it is important to us that they are all given the opportunity to thrive.

Get more information about our Exceptional Student Services (ESS) by scheduling a tour at one of our campuses or by contacting us directly. American Leadership Academy complies with state and federal laws pertaining to Special Education, Section 504, and Child Find.

Special Education

American Leadership Academy provides special education and related services to students who qualify for such services based on data collected through the Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team (MET). Parents and school team members work together to determine a student’s eligibility and to develop an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) if the student is eligible.

IEP teams at ALA, including parents, determine the least restrictive environment for each student. The goal is to ensure students are in the general education classroom as much as possible, and ultimately that students no longer require special education services. As such, ALA provides a full continuum of services to ensure each student’s needs are met appropriately.

If parents have questions regarding special education at their campus, please contact your child’s teacher.

Procedural Safeguards / Aviso de las Salvaguardias Procesales

Section 504 Protections

504 plans at American Leadership Academy gives all students the chance at success. Being able to provide this is extremely important to our staff and teachers. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is a civil rights statute designed to help prevent discrimination against individuals with disabilities and to assure that students with disabilities have educational opportunities and benefits equal to those provided to non-disabled students In any program offered by ALA:

A student is protected by Section 504 if he/she has or has had a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, has a record of such impairment or is regarded as disabled by others.

ALA will identify, evaluate, and provide a free appropriate public education to all qualifying students with disabilities under Section 504.

ALA will ensure that no otherwise qualified individual with disabilities, shall solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any ALA program or activity.

To learn more about 504 plans at American Leadership Academy, schedule a tour at one of our campuses.

Child Find

Child Find is a component of the IDEA. Child Find is the ongoing obligation of American Leadership Academy to locate, identify, and evaluate all students with disabilities who are in need of special education and related services within the enrolled population of the school.

Arizona Early Intervention Program (“AzEIP”) provides early intervention support and services to families of eligible students by providing children ages birth to three (3) years the supports and services to achieve desired outcomes related to the child’s needs. Contact AzEIP at 602-532-9960 or complete an online referral at www.azdes.gov/azeip if you have a child 0-3 years of age that you suspect may have a disability.

If you have a child aged 3-5, who is not enrolled in kindergarten, contact your ALA campus to learn about preschool evaluation procedures.

Special education services are available for school-age children in kindergarten through the age of 21, including specialized instruction and services to assist students in the education environment. Contact your local public school if you have a school-aged student that you suspect may have a disability.

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