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Special Education Services

Special Education Administration Team

QUICK LINKS

What is Special Education?
How long will you keep my Special Education records?
I'm in High School...what happens next?
What if my child is in a private school or homeschooled?
Where can I look for more information?

PUBLIC NOTICE

Our Assurances

All responsible public agencies are required to locate, evaluate, and identify children with disabilities who are under the jurisdiction of the agency, regardless of the severity of the disability, including children attending private schools, highly mobile children, such as migrant homeless children, and children who are suspected of having a disability and in need of special education even though they are advancing from grade to grade. The Pleasant Hill School District assures that it will provide a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) to all eligible children with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 under its jurisdiction.

Disabilities include autism, deaf/blindness, emotional disorders, hearing impairment and deafness, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairments, specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment/blindness and young child with a developmental delay.

The Pleasant Hill School District assures that it will provide information and referral services necessary to assist the State in the implementation of early intervention services for infants and toddlers eligible for the Missouri First Steps program.

The Pleasant Hill School District assures that personally identifiable information collected, used, or maintained by the agency for the purposes of identification, evaluation, placement or provision of FAPE of children with disabilities may be inspected and/or reviewed by their parents/guardians. Parents/guardians may request amendment to the educational record if the parent/guardian believes the record is inaccurate, misleading, or violates the privacy or other rights of their child. Parents have the right to file complaints with the U.S. Department of Education or the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education concerning alleged failures by the district to meet the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

The Pleasant Hill School District has developed a Local Compliance Plan for the implementation of State Regulations for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This plan contains the agency’s policies and procedures regarding storage, disclosure to third parties, retention and destruction of personally identifiable information and the agency’s assurances that services are provided in compliance with the General Education Provision Act (GEPA). This plan may be reviewed at Pleasant Hill School District, Special Education Office, 1301 Myrtle, Pleasant Hill, Missouri, 816-540-4700, during business hours.

*THIS NOTICE WILL BE PROVIDED IN NATIVE LANGUAGES AS APPROPRIATE

PUBLIC NOTICE-MEDICAID

Initial and/or Annual Written Notification
To Use Public Funded Program Benefits or Insurance
Medicaid -- MO HealthNet

Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) allows school districts to use specific government funded public program benefits to assist with costs associated with special education services. Amended federal regulations require the District to provide initial written notification, and annually thereafter, to the student/s parent/guardian before accessing the student's or parent's government funded public program benefits or insurance for billing purposes (i.e., Medicaid -- MO HealthNet) for the first time on or after March 18, 2013, and prior to obtaining one-time written parental consent. Participation in MO HealthNet for Kids and/or MO HealthNet program is not required for any student to receive free appropriate public education (FAPE) under IDEA.

One-time written parental consent to release personally identifiable information to the State's Medicaid agency, healthcare staff or other public insurance programs to determine, access, and recover entitled program benefits from a student's or parent's government funded public program benefits or insurance will be sought by the District. Consent is voluntary and may be revoked at any time. Consent does not give the District permission to access private insurance benefits. Failure to consent will not result in denial or limitation of services for the student nor limit rights to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) under IDEA.

Any questions or concerns should be directed to:

Sarah Gregory, Director of Student and Special Services

318 Cedar
Pleasant Hill, MO 64080
816-540-4700

Special Education Services:

The Pleasant Hill R-3 School District is committed to providing high-quality special education and related services to eligible students with disabilities ages 3 to 21, as well as gifted services for students in Kindergarten through grade 12. Within each school, specially designed instruction and support are integrated into the district’s comprehensive educational system, ensuring that all students can make continuous progress in the general curriculum and participate meaningfully in educational and social activities to the maximum extent appropriate to their individual needs.

Pleasant Hill R-3 offers a full continuum of special services designed to help each student reach their potential within the least restrictive environment. These services focus on helping students gain valuable knowledge and skills, build self-esteem, develop social and work-related abilities, and prepare for responsible citizenship and productive adult life. Identified students are protected under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Missouri state law, ensuring they receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). When students meet eligibility criteria and demonstrate a need for specialized services, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is developed to outline the unique instruction, accommodations, and modifications needed for their success.

Services are available to students with:

• Intellectual Disabilities
• Young Child with A Developmental Delay
• Visual Impairment/Blindness
• Multiple disabilities
•  Specific Learning Disabilities
• Emotional Disturbance
• Speech and Language Impairment
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Educational Autism
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Hearing Impairment/Deafness
• Other Health Impairment
• Deaf/Blind

Services available at all school locations:

Cross Categorical:  This is instructional support available to students with high-incidence disabilities who require specially designed instruction and benefit from additional supplemental instruction or replacement instruction.  This type of service is available at all PHR3 school sites.

Related Services:  Special services offer the following related services:  occupational therapy, orientation and mobility, physical therapy, speech/language therapy, vision services, and hearing services.  Related services are considered by IEP teams and added if the related services are necessary to access specially designed instruction.  There is a difference between services offered in an educational setting and those offered through a medical model.  Related services focus solely on educationally related needs: whereas, health care providers utilize a different criteria and may offer more expansive services.

District Special Programs:  

Communication, Language Acquisition, and Social Skills (CLASS): The Pleasant Hill R-3 School District’s CLASS program (Communication, Language Acquisition, and Social Skills) is designed to support students with related exceptionalities whose communication, sensory, and social differences significantly impact their educational progress. The CLASS program focuses on bridging each student’s unique strengths and areas of need through highly individualized instruction, targeted interventions, and a strong home-school partnership. Our goal is to empower students to develop essential skills for independence and productive citizenship — with an emphasis on communication, language, social interaction, leisure, self-help, and vocational abilities.  The School that currently has a CLASS program is the Pleasant Hill Primary School.

The ROOST Program (Respect  Ownership  Opportunity  Safety  Trust):  The ROOST Program is a leveled system, used to provide instruction and support academically, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally.  Students reintegrate back into the classroom based on their current level with the program, advancing through the levels at their own pace.  Students have a chart to document progress and track their goals.  Schools that currently have a ROOST program are Pleasant Hill Intermediate School and Pleasant Hill Middle School.

Pathways:  The Pathways Program is a service and support program on a continuum designed to meet the diverse needs of students with significant cognitive disabilities and adaptive disabilities (from kindergarten through age 21) which prevents them from accessing the general education curriculum. The goal is to help students become more independent and self-sufficient.  The program provides explicit instruction in a variety of areas (but not limited to): functional academics, communication, personal skills, social skills, community skills, employment/vocational skills, and daily living skills.  Schools that currently have a Pathways Program are Pleasant Hill Intermediate School and Pleasant Hill High School.  

Transition Documents

• A+ Information
• Vocational Rehabilitation 
• Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS)
• MCC-Disability Support Services 

What if my child is in a private school or homeschooled?

Notification of Proportionate Share Meeting

The Pleasant Hill School District Department of Special Services will host an informational session for parents of Parentally-Placed Private School Students, which includes children in private, parochial, and home schools, living within the district boundaries. This meeting has been scheduled for Friday, September 12th 2025, 2:00 - 3:00pm at Central Office, 318 Cedar St., Pleasant Hill, MO.

The purpose of this meeting is to describe the identification process and special education services. Please contact the Department of Special Education for additional information. Contact information is located on the home page.

Where can I look for more information?

Procedural Safeguards
https://dese.mo.gov/special-education/compliance/procedural-safeguards

Parents' Bill of Rights
https://dese.mo.gov/special-education/compliance/parents-bill-rights

IDEA
https://sites.ed.gov/idea/

Autism Speaks
https://www.autismspeaks.org/

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights:
Schools' Civil Rights Obligations to English Learner Students and Limited English Proficient Parents
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/ellresources.html
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/strategies-and-resources-supporting-ell-todd-finley

The Whole Person
http://thewholeperson.org/resources/

State of Missouri Disability Portal (Transition)
http://disability.mo.gov/MITT.htm

Understood - Tips on parenting children with disabilities
https://www.understood.org/en