ABOUT OUR DEPARTMENT

Smithville School District offers a range of special education services based on an individual's need. Special education and related services are available to resident children attending public, private, and parochial schools who are identified as being educationally disabled in any of the following areas:

  • Specific learning disabilities

  • Emotional disturbance

  • Intellectual disability

  • Speech or language impairment

  • Orthopedic impairment

  • Other health impairments

  • Autism

  • Visual impairment/blind

  • Hearing impairment and deafness

  • Deaf/blindness

  • Traumatic brain injury

  • Young child with a developmental delay

  • Multiple disabilities

Special education and related services are offered to eligible students starting on their third birthday and continuing to age 21. Services are provided within the local district, through State School Programs for Severely Disabled, by contractual agreement with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education-approved not-for-profit agencies, or purchase of services from neighboring school districts.

Special Education Mission Statement

Special Education in the Smithville School District is a collaborative effort involving the school, family, and community in developing an appropriate educational program which supports each student as an individual within the general education environment and provides the opportunity for every student to maximize his/her potential and become a productive community member.

Public Awareness Policy

All public schools in the state of Missouri are required to provide a free and appropriate public education to all students with disabilities, including those attending private/parochial schools, beginning on the child's third birthday through age twenty-one (21), regardless of the severity of their disability.The public school 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's First Steps Program.

All public schools are required to provide parents the right to inspect and review personally identifiable information collected and used or maintained by the District relating to their children. Parents have the right to request amendments of these records if they feel the information is inaccurate, misleading, or violates the privacy or other rights of their children. 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 Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). You may contact your local district, if you wish to review the requirements provided in FERPA.

The public school has developed a Local Compliance Plan for implementation of Special Education and this plan is available for public review during the regular school hours on days that school is in session in the office of the District Administration Building. The Local Compliance Plan is a written narrative, which describes the District's plan for compliance with the requirements for identifying and serving all students with disabilities. Included in this plan are the policies and procedures, which the District must follow regarding storage, disclosure to third parties, retention, and destruction of personally identifiable information. The plan also describes the assurances that services are provided in compliance with the requirements of Section 438 of the General Educational Provisions Act and Part 99 of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.

Public schools in the State of Missouri are required to conduct an annual census of all children with disabilities or suspected disabilities from birth through age twenty-one (21) who reside in the District or whose parent/legal guardian resides in the District. This census is compiled as of December 1 each year. This information is treated as confidential and submitted to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Information to be collected includes: name of each child; parent/legal guardian's name/address; birth date and age of each child; each child's disability or suspected disability; and services provided to the child with the disability. Should the District fail to submit an annual census, the State Board of Education may withhold state aid until the census is submitted. If you have a child with a disability who is not attending the public school, or if you have questions regarding special services, please contact the Smithville School District Director of Special Services, Mrs. Andrea Ambroson at 816-532-0406

This notice can be provided in the native language of the parent.

CONTACTS

Andrea Ambroson
Director of Special Services
ambrosoa@smithville.k12.mo.us
816-532-0406 ext. 7032

Kristen Gromacki
Elementary Level Process Coordinator & Teacher
gromackk@smithville.k12.mo.us
816-532-0406 ext. 7629

Amanda McCluskey
Middle School & Elementary Level Process Coordinator
mccluska@smithville.k12.mo.us
816-532-0406 ext. 7669

Debbie Parnacott
High School Level Process Coordinator
parnacod@smithville.k12.mo.us
816-532-0406 ext. 7566

Mary Veslic
Early Childhood & Elementary Level Process Coordinator
veslicm@smithville.k12.mo.us
816-532-0406 ext. 7102

Brenda Dion
Administrative Assistant
dionb@smithville.k12.mo.us
816-532-0406 ext. 7962

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