Special Services

Stonington Public Schools actively seeks to locate, identify, and refer children from birth to age 21 who require special education and related services in order to assist them and their families. If you are concerned about a child's development, you are encouraged to contact your local elementary school to receive information about Early Childhood Screenings (see our link below). If the child is younger than 3 years of age, you may chose instead to contact the Connecticut Birth to Three System at 1-800-505-7000.

• Referral to Determine Eligibility for Special Ed and Related Services Form
• Connecticut Birth to Three System
• PAD Screening Calendar
• Area Child Care & Preschool Listings
• Child Find Brochure
• List of Area Pediatricians
• Sparkler Early Childhood App
• Connecting to Care Resources for Families

Community Classroom
Stonington Public Schools
A Transitional High School Program

What is a Community Classroom?

A Community Classroom is a classroom that is housed outside of the school building at a local business or organization. Students access this classroom as part of connecting their learning from job related experiences to life skills and/ or academics. Community Classrooms allow students to learn and work with non-disabled peers in inclusive settings and provide students with transitional supports for the student's future life plans. A mutually beneficial relationship for both the schools and the local community businesses is forged. The purpose of the Community Classroom is:

♦ To provide students with authentic, meaningful life and work skills in their own community.

♦ To establish a transitional program for our students that meets their needs and is provided in-district.

♦ To create partnerships between local organizations and businesses that are designed for mutual benefit.

Community Classroom Mission Statement

To provide Stonington high-school/post-high school students with disabilities vocational training in their own community setting. Independent living skills, social integration activities, and lifelong learning would be elements of the “Community Classroom" curriculum as students make the transition from high-school to community life.
 

Partnerships and Collaborations:

♦ Avalon Health Center at Stoneridge

♦ Mystic Aquarium

♦ Mystic Chamber of Commerce

♦ McDonald's - Pawcatuck

♦ Human Services (Life Skills Program)

♦ Westerly Hospital

Benefits of the Community Classroom:

♦ Pursuit of Life Skills and Job Training in Student's Community

♦ Possibility of Future Employment in Community

♦ Inclusive Settings

♦ Increased Morale for Staff at Community Businesses

Who Will Be Eligible?

♦ Stonington Students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP)

♦ Between the Ages of 15-21

♦ Appropriate Social Behaviors

♦ Successful Participation in the T.L.C Work Study Program

The establishment of the Community Classrooms in our town, gives us the ability to have our students working and learning in their own community.

• CT State Dept. of Ed, Special Education, Family Resources
• Homebound Tutoring Requirements/Documents
• Alternative Education Forms (Homeschooling)
• Parents Guide to Special Education in Connecticut
• Una guía de educación especial para los padres de Connecticut
• Understanding the PPT Process
• PPT Checklist for Parents
• Connecting to Care Resources for Families

Parent Rights Documents:

• Procedural Safeguards (Revised March 2021) (English)
• SPS Section 504 Procedural Safeguards Notice

Transition:

• Transition Bill of Rights for Parents of Students Receiving Special Education Services
• Building Bridge Transition Manual

Disability Resources:

• Autism Speaks
• CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
• Connecticut Birth to Three System
• Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center (CPAC) is a statewide nonprofit organization that offers information and support to families of children with any disability or chronic illness, age birth to 26. All of CPAC's services are FREE for families.
• Disability Eligibility Resource Documents (Learning Disabilities and Autism)
• Dyslexia Resources and Information
• Emotional Disturbance Identification and Information
• Learning Disabilities Association of America
• State of Connecticut Department of Developmental Services
• Town of Stonington: Department of Human Services

Preschool Information:

• Information regarding Stonington's Integrated Preschool Program may be found on the Preschool page.

Medicaid:

• Medicaid Parent Letter
• Parent Consent Form School Based Child Health Program
• Transfer of Confidential Student Information - FERPA
• Transfer of Confidential Student Information - HIPPA

Futures Report Summary
Stonington Public Schools

Recommendations and Implications

The leadership of the Stonington Public Schools commissioned a comprehensive review of special services in the Stonington Schools. The group that conducted this review was Futures Education, an organization that looks globally at how a school system can most effectively and efficiently provide special services to their students. The report examined the special services in Stonington in terms of both educational services and financial resources.

The report’s recommendations included:

• To further our in-district inclusive practices for students
• To ensure the Least Restrictive Environment for students
• To evaluate the use of paraprofessionals in the district and use certified staff when possible
• To continue the creation of supports that both support students in our district
  (as oppose to out district placements) and are fiscally responsible

The FUTURES study resulted in implications for the work of the Special Services Department in Stonington. These implications included:

• Meetings held with building leadership to identify known budgetary needs prior to the budget creation instead
  of on the typical time schedule (after the budget had been created)
• Principals were asked to focus on needs to create inclusive schools and co-teaching relationships
• Guidelines for paraprofessional use were established and needs were determined
• Work was done to create an in-district transition program to support our students in
  Stonington instead of sending them to costly outplacements

Through this work, reallocations of monies allowed the Special Services Department to better program for students
in more fiscally responsible ways. Some of these budgetary implications included:

• A clear determination of the supports needed for individual students and classrooms
• A realization of a reduction of 257 paraprofessional hours district-wide that equals $111,024
• A reallocation of monies to hire 2.5 certified staff members to support co-teaching models and inclusive
  practice where supports are brought into the students’ classrooms benefitting all students
• The creation of the Community Classroom supports our student in-district that saves $163, 558

Futures Education (initialized) Special Education Clinical and Educational Analysis For Stonington Public Schools Powerpoint Presentation

Futures Education (initialized) Special Education Clinical and Educational Analysis For Stonington Public Schools

McKinney-Vento/Rights of Homeless Students

Assistance For Families - Please contact district social worker: Paula Agins Phone: 860-536-9613

Preschool Schedule: 

AM session (8:55 AM to 11:25 AM) -- First day of school is 9/8/2021

PM session (12:55 PM to 3:25 PM) -- First day of school is 9/8/2021

• 2022-23 School Calendar
• Preschool Brochure
• Preschool Assessment of Development (PAD) Brochure
• Early Childhood Health Assessment Record
• PAD Screening Calendar
• Area Pediatricians/Clinics List
• Sparkler Early Childhood App

Connecticut Early Learning Development Standards - Link

Connecticut Early Learning Development Standards: Guide for Families - Link

What Children Birth to Five Should be Able to Do - Link

• Section 504 Grievance Procedure
• Section 504 Procedural Safeguards
• 504 Parent Guide - Manual
• Guía de recursos para padres y educadores de la Sección 504

Special Education Forms

Data Collection Sheets

• Worksheet for Manifestation Determination for Administrators
• FERPA FORM
• HIPPA FORM

Special Education Publications

• Notice of Parent Rights and Information
• Parental Rights Related Information
• Procedural Safeguards (Revised March 2021) (English)
• Parents Guide (Spanish)
• 2018 Parental Notification of the Laws Relating to Seclusion and Restraint in the Public Schools (English)
• 2017 Parental Notification of the Laws Relating to Seclusion and Restraint in the Public Schools (Spanish)

• Connecticut Core Transition Skills
• Building a Bridge: A Resource Manual for High School Students (Revised 2009, English)
• Building a Bridge: A Resource Manual for High School Students (Revised 2009, Spanish)
• Directory of Transition/Vocational Service Providers (2010)
• Stepping Forward: A Self-Advocacy Guide for Middle and High School Students (revised 2013) (formerly An Educational Journey from Self Discovery to Advocacy)
• Transition Assessment Resource Manual (2008)
• Transition Bill of Rights for Parents of Students Receiving Special Education Services
• Disability Eligibility Resource Documents (Learning Disabilities and Autism)
• State of Connecticut Department of Developmental Services
• Department of Rehab Services (DORS/BRS)
• Town of Stonington: Department of Human Services

• Medicaid Parent Letter
• Parent Consent Form School Based Child Health Program
• Transfer of Confidential Student Information - FERPA
• Transfer of Confidential Student Information - HIPPA