Student Support Overview

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Request a paper copy by faxing or mailing an Immunization Record Request Form to the Alaska Immunization Program
Request records through your health care provider.

Required Immunizations

Immunization Requirements for School Compliance

Did You Know?

We have 41 school nurses, covering most of our district's 48 schools. 85% of our schools have a nurse!
Please refer to your specific school for their nurses contact info.

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The Special Education Office is committed to providing inclusive and empowering learning experiences by ensuring that every MSBSD student receives the support they need to reach their goals and contribute to their world.

We provide specialized services to children ages 3-21 who possess disabilities through employment of over 300 teachers and specialists in more than 100 special education programs.

Discipline: Educational Conferences

What is an Educational Conference?

Students who have been issued a long-term suspension for alcohol use, drug use, aggressive behavior, self-harming behavior, or who exhibit other behaviors of concern to the referring school, may be given the option of attending an educational conference with their parent or guardian. As stated in BP 5144.01, the length of the suspension may be mitigated by the principal if the student complies with the school-based recommendations of the educational conference. The educational conference is intended to determine if additional school-based interventions or services, such as educational support, completing alcohol or drug education courses or accessing counseling services, would benefit the student and increase the likelihood they can successfully return to school. Outside community/agency recommendations will also be made for parents to pursue as they choose.

Parents/guardians are required to attend this conference with their child. Please bring to the conference any relevant school, medical or mental health records. Allow one hour for the conference.

Completing the Referral Form

Link to Educational Conference Referral Form

Before returning the referral form, make sure ALL requested information is complete. Required signatures include parent/guardian, student, and all staff attending the meeting. Parent contact information should also be on the form. Please email the completed form to rio.brenton@matsuk12.us.

Appointment

An appointment will be scheduled using the family contact information provided once the completed Educational Conference Referral Form has been received at Mat-Su Day School. The assigned educational conference provider will call and arrange the appointment.

Request Special Education Records

Procedural Safeguards

Services

Child Find

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Related Services

Services Available through the Special Education Office:

Assistive Technology
Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Visually Impaired
Occupational Therapy
Physical Therapy
School Psychology
Sign Language
Speech/Language Therapy

Assistive Technology

Assistive Technology is a device and/or service that is determined to be educationally necessary for a student to receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Assistive Technology (AT) tools help students:

Communicate with teachers and classmates
Complete classroom assignments
Participate in school programs and activities

Examples of Assistive Technology: AT tools are commonly described as "low-tech", "mid-tech", or "high-tech". An AT evaluation will determine the type(s) of tools best able to support your student at school.

Types of AT Requests:

AT Evaluation
ESY Request
Fall Request
Ongoing Support Training Request

Requesting Assistive Technology: If you believe your student needs assistive technology, please follow these steps:

Start by filling out an AT ticket. (Student Assistive Technology Ticket)
Once you have filled out the ticket, the AT Specialist assigned to your school will be notified and you will be contacted within 5 school days.
This ticket will remain open throughout the entire process. If you feel the ticket was closed prematurely, simply respond to the email you received stating the ticket was closed and it will re-open.

Deaf/Hard of Hearing Services

At the elementary level, we offer D/HH services at Shaw Elementary School. Students are able to access services such as inclusion with same-aged peers, educational interpreting in all settings, and pullout instruction with a D/HH teacher to the Deaf Ed classroom as appropriate to the student's needs and identified by the IEP team. As students approach their transition to middle school, the team begins making plans for the new setting to ensure that the appropriate supports continue to be in place.

At the secondary level, services continue to be individualized based on the student's needs and are typically provided at the student's boundary school but can be provided at other schools as well. The D/HH teacher provides services using an itinerant model, traveling to students at their schools to provide services as defined in the IEP. Educational interpreting is provided as determined by the IEP, along with inclusive and/or pullout services as appropriate.

We believe in:

Recognizing the unique needs of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students.
Providing services to allow each child to be successful, effective communicators, and life-long learners.
Many approaches to the education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students.
Many different modalities of communication to learning language (Multi-Modality).
Research-based best practices to guide our assessment and instruction.
An essential communication and literacy rich environment.
Cultural Identity.
A collaborative team approach between:
- Parents
- Deaf education specialists
- School administrators
- School psychologists
- Therapists
- Audiologists
- Interpreters

Services Available:

Child Find:
- Hearing screenings.
- Hearing rechecks or referrals to appropriate medical providers.
IEP or 504:
- Accommodations and goals when needed.
- Provide specialized instruction to meet the needs of a Deaf or Hard of Hearing student.
- Provide Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT) as determined by the IEP or 504. Note - hearing aids are not provided.
- Access to ASL, Total Communication, or other methods of visual communication that is a best fit for the student.
- Educational ASL Interpreting Services as defined in the IEP.
Audiology Services District-Wide
- Classroom or Health Fair presentations.
- Follow-up on referrals from school nurses, parents, and staff concerns. Testing done either in the schools or in the MSBSD Audiology Office.
- Collaborate with private audiologists, physicians, and other professionals that see our students.
Full diagnostic hearing evaluations by licensed audiologists.
Sign language interpreters available to students, families, and staff upon request through your child's school.

Parent Resources:

Program for the Visually Impaired

Educating Students with Visual Impairments:

We provide and adapt all educational materials to meet the student's visual needs and collaborate closely with all teachers and therapists to ensure success within the classroom and community. This may include:

Braille textbooks and materials
Tactile graphics and illustrations
Large print textbooks and materials
Tactual communication symbols for students with Dual-Sensory Impairments (DSI) or Deaf-Blind

Direct instruction in the nine areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) to compensate for loss of vision includes:

Assistive Technology
Career Education
Compensatory, Communication and Literacy Skills (Braille instruction)
Independent Living Skills
Orientation and Mobility (O&M)
Recreation and Leisure
Self-Determination
Sensory Efficiency Skills
Social Interaction Skills

Mat-Su Day School

Services section under construction, more details coming soon!

Medicaid Reimbursement

Medicaid Billing

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services encourages Alaskan school districts to implement programs to bill Medicaid for school-based behavioral health services and therapies. The MSBSD currently bills for Medicaid reimbursement in the areas of Speech, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy

Questions?

Dana Oliver - Medicaid Specialist

907-746-9234

Section 504

INTRODUCTION TO SECTION 504

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a federal nondiscrimination law designed to protect the rights of students with disabilities in programs and activities that receive federal funds, including public school districts.

To qualify under Section 504, a student must: 1) have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; 2) have a record of such impairment; or 3) be regarded as having such impairment. Learning is a major life activity.

Federal regulations require school districts to provide a “free appropriate public education” (FAPE) to District students who are qualified to receive Section 504 services. FAPE consists of regular and/or special education and related aids and services designed to meet the student’s individual educational needs.

NOTICE OF SECTION 504 RIGHTS

Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act is a federal nondiscrimination statute that prohibits discrimination because of disability. The Matanuska Susitna Borough School District (MSBSD) does not discriminate because of disability in its educational programs or activities.

Section 504 requires the District to identify, evaluate, and determine if a student is a qualified individual who requires accommodations to enable access to educational programs and activities. Accommodations are implemented through a Section 504 plan.

Parents may review the educational records of their students, including any Section 504 records. Review rights and requirements are described in School Board Policy 5125 (Student Records), which is available on the District’s website or at the Superintendent’s office at 501 N Gulkana St., Palmer, AK 99645.

A parent or guardian who wishes to challenge an action or omission related to the identification, evaluation, or placement of the student may follow the Section 504 Grievance Procedure described below:

SECTION 504 GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

Under Board Policy 1312.03, MSBSD shall not discriminate on the basis of disability. MSBSD has adopted an internal grievance procedure providing for prompt and equitable resolution of complaints alleging any action prohibited by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

Any person or guardian who believes they or their child has been subjected to discrimination on the basis of disability, may file a grievance under this procedure. It is unlawful for MSBSD to retaliate against anyone who files a grievance or cooperates in the investigation of a grievance.

Procedure:

Grievances must be submitted to the Section 504 District Coordinator within 90 days of the date the person filing the grievance becomes aware of the alleged discriminatory action.
A complaint must be in writing, containing the name and address of the person filing it. The complaint must state the problem or action alleged to be discriminatory and the remedy or relief sought. MSBSD is not allowed to retaliate against anyone who makes a complaint or participates in the investigation of a complaint.
The Section 504 District Coordinator (or their designee) shall conduct an investigation of the complaint. This investigation may be informal, but it must be thorough, affording all interested persons an opportunity to submit evidence relevant to the complaint.
The Section 504 District Coordinator will issue a written decision on the grievance no later than 30 days after its filing.
The person filing the grievance may appeal the decision of the Section 504 District Coordinator by writing to the Special Education Director within 15 days of receiving the Section 504 District Coordinator’s decision. The SEO Director shall issue a written decision in response to the appeal no later than 30 days after its filing.

The availability and use of this grievance procedure does not prevent a person from filing a complaint of discrimination on the basis of disability with the U. S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, 915 Second Avenue, Room 3310, Seattle, WA 98174-1099.

MSBSD will make appropriate arrangements to ensure that disabled persons are provided other accommodations, if needed, to participate in this grievance process. Such arrangements may include, but are not limited to, providing interpreters for the deaf, providing recorded audio of material for the blind, or assuring a barrier-free location for the proceedings. The Section 504 District Coordinator will be responsible for such arrangements.

For information contact:

Section 504 District Coordinator
Email: section504@matsuk12.us
Section 504 Records Technician
Phone: 907-746-9244

Special Education Office Overview