It is the responsibility of the Framingham Public Schools (FPS) to identify any child who may have a disability who is either a resident of Framingham or who attends a private school within the geographic boundaries of Framingham even if the student is not a resident of Framingham. This also includes students who are homeschooled, or in private preschools or daycare settings. 

The FPS is responsible for the evaluation of those students to determine if they are eligible for special education or related services under Federal law, IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) or, Massachusetts State Law, 603 CMR 28 (Massachusetts Special Education Regulations). 

The FPS is also committed to identifying children before their third birthday in order to provide early intervention services for three and four-year-olds with disabilities. If you have questions or concerns regarding your child's development and would like to have him/her screened, please call the Special Education Department at (508) 626-9123. The Special Education Department of the Framingham Public Schools is available to provide screenings and evaluations for special education services at no cost. 

The Parent's Notice of Procedural Safeguards may be found on our website . 

Sincerely, 

Dr. Frank Alves, Ed.D.
Interim Director of Special Education

Natalia Kierul
Assistant Director of Special Education

Translated versions available here

Introduction

This Fact Sheet provides a brief overview of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B  and state law Child Find requirements applicable to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) in Massachusetts  and provides resources to support LEAs in ensuring children with disabilities are appropriately identified,  located, and evaluated. In Massachusetts, LEAs must conduct child find activities for all children with  disabilities ages 3 through 21 residing in or attending private school in the geographic boundaries of the  LEA.  

Overview of Federal Child Find Requirements Under IDEA Part B

All children with disabilities ages 3 through 21 residing in the State, including children with disabilities  who are in foster care, homeless, homeschooled, or attending private schools, regardless of the severity  of their disability, and who are in need of special education and related services, must be identified,  located, and evaluated. Child find must include children who are suspected of being a child with a  disability and in need of special education, even if they are advancing from grade to grade. For more  information about federal child find requirements, please see the United States Department of  Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), Return to School Roadmap:  Child Find Under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Aug. 24, 2021)(Child Find  guidance).  

IDEA Part B also requires each LEA to “locate, identify, and evaluate all children with disabilities who are  enrolled by their parents in private, including religious, elementary schools and secondary schools  located in the school district served by the LEA.” In accordance with IDEA regulations, the child find  activities for such children must be similar to the child find activities undertaken for the LEA’s public school children. For more information about child find requirements relating to privately enrolled  children with disabilities, including homeschooled students, please see the Department of Elementary  and Secondary Education’s (DESE) website, which includes Administrative Advisory SPED 2018-1 and  sample child find notices for privately enrolled students.  

Overview of Child Find Requirements Under State Law  

In addition to federal law, Massachusetts state law requires “the school committee of every city, town  or school district” to “identify the school age children residing therein who have a disability,” as well as “diagnose and evaluate the needs of such children, propose a special education program to meet those  needs, provide or arrange for the provision of such special education program.” State law also requires  that school districts “maintain a record of such identification, diagnosis, proposal and program actually  provided.” 

Considerations for Conducting Child Find Activities  

As described by OSERS in its Child Find guidance, in light of the educational disruptions caused by  COVID-19, LEAS should reexamine the efficacy of their existing child find practices and initiate new  activities as appropriate. For example, the LEAs that post their Child Find notices on their websites and  in settings frequented by families in their community, such as doctor’s offices, autism centers, hospitals, private schools, and day cares, may also consider posting their Child Find notices on their social media  pages or expanding the number of settings in which they post them. For additional ideas for child find  activities, please see: Q&A 5, OSERS, Child Find.  

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education  

November 15, 2021