Special Education Services

Prior to enrollment, you may contact Special Education Services at 256-582-3159 for additional information about services Guntersville City Schools provides.  During enrollment, you may ask your school personnel about services and share any documentation you may have from a previous school/district with the school so that services may be considered/established.

Child Identification as outlined by the Alabama Administrative Code (AAC), includes CHILD FIND, Pre-referral Intervention Strategies in the General Education Class, Referral, Evaluations and Eligibility. Local Education Agency's (LEA's) serving children with disabilities must develop and implement procedures that ensure that all children within their jurisdiction, regardless of the severity of their disability, and who need special education and related services are identified, located, and evaluated. Child Find also applies to children with disabilities who attend private schools, including children attending religious schools, within the LEA's jurisdiction, highly mobile children with disabilities (e.g., migrant children), homeless children, or children who are wards of the State and children who are suspected of having a disability and are in need of special education, even though they have not failed, been retained in a course or grade or are advancing from grade to grade.

Written consent for services must be obtained following the determination of eligibility for special education. An Individualized Education Program (IEP) will be developed by a team that includes parents, a general educator, special educator, and a representative of the local education agency (LEA representative). Other professionals may also be included as part of the team as appropriate to the child's needs. The school-based IEP team will work with the parents and student to develop goals that address the child's unique educational needs and allow him to access the general education curriculum.

Please contact Mrs. Dawn Osborne or Mrs. Jody Lemaster at 256-582-3159. 

Please share this information with your child's teacher and/or school administrator. Prescriptions alone do not dictate school-based services. They may be considered as part of the evaluation process. All students must meet Alabama Administrative Code criteria for school-based special education services.

Please provide this information to your child's teacher and/or administrator. A meeting will be scheduled to review all information and consider results of an independent evaluation. Diagnostic criteria are different from eligibility for special education services (as determined by the Alabama Administrative Code). Therefore, even if pieces of the private evaluation are accepted, additional information may still be needed to meet State eligibility requirements.