Special Education
In keeping with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA), Tuscaloosa City Schools provides a full continuum of services for students with special needs. We strive to meet the unique challenge of providing all students with special needs appropriate special education and related services.
- Who is Eligible for Special Education Services? Students are eligible to receive services beginning on their third birthday if they meet the eligibility requirements for any of the following: Developmental Delay, Hearing Impairment, Deaf-Blindness, Mental Retardation, Multiple Disabilities, Orthopedic Impairment, Other Health Impairment, Emotional Disturbance, Speech or Language Impairment, Visual Impairment, Specific Learning Disability, Autism and Traumatic Brain Injury.
- How Does A Student Become Eligible
for Special Education? Child Identification
as outlined by the Alabama Administrative
Code (AAC), includes CHILD FIND, Prereferral
Intervention Strategies in the General
Education Class, Referral, Evaluations
and Eligibility.
- How Does A Student Become Eligible for Special Education Services? Local Education Agency’s (LEA’s) serving children with disabilities must develop and implement procedures that ensure that all children within their jurisdiction, regardless of the severity of their disability, and who need special education and related services are identified, located, and evaluated. Child Find also applies to children with disabilities who attend private schools, including children attending religious schools, within the LEA’s jurisdiction, highly mobile children with disabilities (e.g., migrant children), homeless children, or children who are wards of the State and children who are suspected of having a disability and are in need of special education, even though they have not failed, been retained in a course or grade or are advancing from grade to grade.
- Where is Special Education? Each public agency must ensure that, to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities ages 3-21, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are nondisabled, and special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only if the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular education classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.
- Who May I Contact to Obtain More Information Concerning Special Education Services in the Tuscaloosa City School System?
In addition to students with special needs, the Tuscaloosa City Schools Special Education Department is also responsible for providing services for students who qualify for gifted services as outlined by the Alabama Administrative Code (AAC).
- Who Is Eligible for Gifted Services: Intellectually gifted children and youth are those who perform at high levels in academic or creative fields when compared with others of their age, experience or environment. These children and youth require services not ordinarily provided by the regular school program. Children and youth possessing these abilities can be found in all populations, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor.
- How Does A Student Become Eligible for Gifted Services? Procedures are in place to ensure that students who exhibit gifted characteristics are referred for gifted services. These include: public notice, equity to ensure that efforts are made to identify students among all populations and socio-economic groups, Second Grade Child Find and standard referrals made by teachers, counselors, administrators and parents/guardians. Parents must be informed when students are referred.
- Does My Child’s School Offer Gifted Services? Students grades 3 – 5 receive gifted services in their neighborhood school. Middle School students are provided enriched levels of learning in the honors and /or advanced classes in the areas of Language Arts and Science.
- Who May I Contact to Obtain More Information Concerning Gifted Services? Please contact Deborah Anderson, Director of Special Education by calling 205-759-3531 extension 221, or by emailing danderso@tusc.k12.al.us
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