Project Child Find

Project Child Find

Project Child Find is an ongoing effort coordinated by Bertie County Schools, in collaboration with the Exceptional Children Division of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, to identify, locate, and evaluate children and youth ages three through twenty-one who are suspected of having a disability and who may be in need of special education and related services. Child Find applies to all children residing within the district, including children who are advancing from grade to grade, highly mobile children (including migrant children), children who are homeless or wards of the State, and children parentally placed in private schools located within the district, regardless of the severity of the disability.

Children may be referred for evaluation whenever a disability is suspected. This includes, but is not limited to, children with Specific Learning Disability (including dyslexia), Speech or Language Impairment, Other Health Impairment, Autism, Emotional Disability, Intellectual Disability, Developmental Delay (when applicable for children ages three through seven), Hearing, Visual, Orthopedic, or Multiple Disabilities, and Traumatic Brain Injury. A child does not need to be failing, retained, or unable to participate in the general education curriculum to be referred or evaluated.

Bertie County Schools provides a comprehensive evaluation process and, for children determined eligible, develops an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to ensure access to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for students ages three through twenty-one. Referrals may be initiated by parents, school staff, or other individuals with concerns about a child’s development or learning. When concerns are submitted by individuals other than a parent or the school system, the district responds in writing within required timelines in accordance with North Carolina Child Find procedures. When appropriate, referrals may also be made to other agencies or community resources.

"Locating Children with Special Needs in Our Schools!"

"Locaizar a los Ninos con Necesidades Especiales en Nuestro Escuelas"