For ASDB Board policy regarding student admissions/enrollment, please visit:
- Placement is initiated by a referral from the student’s home district.
- If a private school or charter school contacts ASDB regarding placement, per state statute, they will be directed to the home school district special education director.
- If a parent makes the first contact, they will be directed to the home school district’s special education director. They will be asked to complete the registration process with the home school district and make the district aware that they are requesting referral to a ASDB campus based program.
- If the parent requests a tour of a campus based program, designated campus staff will schedule a tour and notify the principal and assistant principals. The home school district will also be contacted if the parent resides in Arizona.
Referral for Grade K-12:
- When contacted by the district representative, the ASDB administrative assistant begins filling out the “Request for ASDB Campus Participation” form by identifying grade, student name, DOB, place of birth, parent names/contact information, address, district representative name, phone and email address for future contact.
- The ASDB administrative assistant will request the following documents from the district representative (these documents must come from the district representative, not a parent):
- Current (past 12 months) audiological and ophthalmological or optometrist report
- Pertinent medical records
- Valid IEP (must be prior to expiration date, valid one year, and does not have to be from the current district)
- Valid MET with audiogram/audiology report (must be prior to expiration date, valid three years)
- Current evaluations may include Psycho-educ., FVA, CVI, OT/PT, SPL, Learning Media Assessment, O&M, etc.
- Most recent state assessment scores/report
- High school transcripts
- Birth certificate
- The paperwork is first given to the ASDB principal who specifies who will be involved in the record review. Per the principal’s instructions, the administrative assistant, or designated staff, will scan the documents to the records review team for review prior to records review meeting. The core team shall include: the principal, school administrator, counselor, behavior specialist, psychologist and nurse. Additional members may be invited depending on the student needs identified in the IEP/MET, i.e. OT/PT, SLP, ASL teacher, transportation, life skills teacher, VI/HI teacher, audiologist, ASDB regional cooperative representative, TSW staff, etc.
- Documents will be scanned to the review team prior to the weekly meeting (Tucson – Wednesday, Phoenix -Thursday). Team members will discuss their areas of expertise with respect to the documentation provided.
- The purpose of this meeting is to ensure that all members of the campus based team have an opportunity to ask questions, gather more information, request an observation, visit potential home district placements, and/or identify missing pieces of information that are necessary to make an appropriate decision. Discussions of placement will not be discussed nor determined during this meeting.
Placement Discussion/IEP Placement Meeting:
- The ASDB principal will inform the ASDB administrative assistant to schedule a placement meeting with the home school district representative. The home school district will comprise the IEP team as they deem necessary. Per ARS 15-1342, section B, a placement and evaluation team shall determine the appropriate educational placement for the child based on the development of an individualized education program. Each placement and evaluation team shall document that it has advised the parent or legal guardian of all placement options. The placement and evaluation team shall consist of at least the following persons:
- The parent or legal guardian of the child.
- An administrator from the home school district in which the child resides.
- The current ASDB itinerant teacher of deaf or blind, if services are provided.
- A certified teacher of the sensory impaired who provides or may provide in the future educational services to the child.
- An evaluator, with preference given to an evaluator who is trained and experienced in evaluating the educational needs of sensory impaired children.
- A representative of the ASDB school who has the authority to make a placement decision.
- Based on this information, the IEP team will discuss if ASDB is the least restrictive environment (LRE) to meet the needs of the student, and if the student’s needs are unique and could not be met at the student’s home district. The IEP team will also discuss if any services potentially provided by ASDB would be a duplication of what the home district can provide. ASDB is the final determinant of whether placement is appropriate based upon the specialized services provided at the ASDB campuses.
- If immunizations, a birth certificate and high school transcripts have not been received, they can be brought to the placement meeting.
- Once the meeting has been scheduled, copies of the potential form (registration packet and other information) are given to the Principal’s office, Transportation, Food Services, ASDB itinerant services and the registrar with the expected start date. If the start date differs from the expected start date, all parties will be notified.
- The administrative assistant will compile the enrollment packet for the placement meeting: registration paperwork, Residency/McKinney-Vento, Handbook (English or Spanish), School-Parent Compact, IDEA B parental rights (English or Spanish) and additional paperwork per grade as needed. The paperwork will be given to the administrator prior to meeting.
- An administrative assistant will review documents for completeness prior to the parent leaving the meeting. All paperwork will be given back to the administrative assistant who will then forward all documents to the registrar.
***If Dormitory Living is Needed (Tucson Campus Only):
When the home residence of the student is sufficiently distant from the campus such that daily commute to/from school are impractical, the residential program team will convene to determine a child’s appropriateness for placement in campus residences. To assure the safety of the students who are admitted to the residential program, the following minimum functional levels are required:
- In order to be served appropriately and safely in a campus residence, students must perform basic daily living activities with minimal assistance, including but not limited to: bathing, grooming, dressing, feeding or toileting. In addition, students need to have the capacity to understand the change of placement and living away from family.
- Students cannot be appropriately or safely served in campus residences if they are determined to be medically at risk to such an extent that the safety of the child would be in jeopardy in the absence of the parents and/or a primary care physician, or if they require 24-hour medical care.
- Students cannot be appropriately or safely served in campus residences if they require 1:1 or near 1:1 staff:student supervision.
- Students must possess a level of behavior that is compatible with residential programs and activities. Students cannot be appropriate or safely served if they demonstrate or have demonstrated:
- unpredictable aggressive behavior and/or a pattern of predictable aggressive behavior directed toward staff and/or peers;
- behaviors dangerous to themselves;
- mental disorders of severity which require close medical/psychiatric interventions;
- behaviors requiring intensive 24-hour treatment programs; or
- behaviors that require one-on-one supervision for emotional/safety issues.
- Students who are very close to meeting the above minimum functional levels may be considered for placement in campus residences provided they demonstrate potential for acquiring the independence necessary to succeed in the residential program. Placement in the residential program can be reviewed periodically to determine if this is an appropriate placement.
- If students accepted for admission to the residential program violate any ASDB policy, he/she may be suspended or may be denied the opportunity to remain in the residential program, but may be allowed to continue educational placement as a day student. When this decision is contemplated, the IEP team with participation of the Tucson Campus Residential program will convene to discuss whether a review of educational placement is needed.