Special Populations
Special Populations Supports & Services (SPSS)
Mission
SPSS provides support services for special education, early childhood education, crisis intervention and mental health for the Borden-Henryville School Corporation. The purpose of SPSS is to provide high quality supports and services for students with specialized needs and to further the mission and goals of BHSC. Whatever it takes, every student, every day.
To help every child succeed, SPSS focuses on providing equity, opportunity, and resources to students who must overcome barriers. We strive to provide students with individualized academic support and opportunities to explore their learning environment in a way they can be successful. These students are provided support that will ensure they have equal access to educational resources and opportunities. Our department endeavors to collaborate and grow these programs in order to increase access to high-quality programming for our students and community.
Special Education
Special Populations Supports and Services provides students with identified disabilities a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) that meets state standards listed in Indiana’s special education rules called “Article 7”. Article 7 is Indiana’s guidelines to the Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and other federal regulations. A copy of these rules are located in the Parent Resources section of this page.
A student identified with disabilities under Article 7 guidelines may receive special education services from the public school from the time the student is 3 until they are 21 years of age. School personnel or the parent may refer a student for an initial educational evaluation. If a parent wishes to refer a student for evaluation, it is important to contact the building principal or designated counselor on how to make the referral. A school psychologist will review the request, student data, and be in contact to discuss and determine appropriate next steps. If evaluation is the approproate next step, upon completion of that evaluation, a case conference committee meets to decide if a student is eligible for special education services. During the meeting, if found eligible, the committee develops the student’s individualized educational plan (IEP) and discusses any need for related services such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, transportation, etc.
Sometimes a student may have an educational need that does not require specially designed instruction (SDI) and whose needs can be met by a 504 Plan. Your building principal and/or counselor can help you determine if a 504 or special education referral might be a viable route for your student. Keep in mind, many of our schools offer a number of Tier 1 and Tier 2 interventions that do not require special education services.
The staff at Borden-Henryville are here to help, so if you have questions, the best place to start is with your student’s teacher and building administrators.
Early Childhood Education
Borden-Henryville School Corporation is dedicated to providing high-quality and affordable early learning supports for students who are 3-5-years-old. We offer a variety of options for our smallest of students from half-day part-time options to full-day daily preschool programming. All of our programs provide a play-based curriculum in a structured setting that is focused on increasing a child's skills in all developmental domains. We believe that children learn through structured play and thrive in a creative, supportive, and inclusive environment. Our whole-child focus prepares children to not only be kindergarten ready but to explore friendships, problem-solving skills, cause and effect, emotional regulation, and early reading skills such as phonics. Yearly enrollment typically opens in February-March. If you are interested in preschool for your child, contact the director by phone or email for details.
Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) & Mental Health
The Crisis Intervention Team consists of our school psychologists, mental health professionals, counselors, nurses, school psychologist interns, and administrators. The CIT serves to respond when a crisis arises in order to provide guidance and support to the district's students, staff, and community. The CIT also provides and implements the district suicide prevention program to students and the community. This prevention program goes beyond teaching typical warning signs and provides evidence based research to students so they will be empowered to reach out for help for themselves or others in a safe and supportive environment. Students have access to mental health supports at school and are taught about mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety. Our mission is to be a collaborative team that addresses and monitors district mental health initiatives and policy in order to educate, respond, and protect the well-being of our students, staff, and community.
Contact Information:
14312 Railroad Street, Memphis, IN 47143
812-294-7516
I have a concern about my child's IEP or services....
Communication is a key factor among team members to ensure your child's success and you as a parent/guardian are the most important person on your child's team. We believe that parent involvement benefits students and directly affects their academic achievement. Other benefits of being involved in your child’s school and education are that students show more motivation for learning, they have less behavioral concerns, and generally have a better attitude toward school. We encourage positive and proactive communication between families, teachers, and staff. Please do not hesitate to contact us.
What should you do if you have a concern regarding your child’s IEP or services they are receiving?
Teacher of Record: Your first point of contact is your child’s Teacher of Record
This could be resolved in an informal conversation, or it might be a situation in which a case conference is required or requested. You have the right to call a case conference committee meeting at any time. The teacher may also request a conference.
Campus administrator: If you have reached out to the Teacher of Record and you feel the issue has not been resolved, you should communicate with the school campus administrator (principal or assistant principal).
WHAS CRUSADE FOR CHILDREN
Many of the programs at BHSC benefit from the kind support of the WHAS Crusade for Children grant. This grant has provided yearly funding for BHSC and the surrounding schools for many years. All of their donations go directly to helping special education students and allows us to purchase items ranging from wheelchairs and mobility devices to curriculum materials and software. If you would like to learn more about the WHAS Crusade for Children and ways you can help support programming in the area, please visit http://whascrusade.org/.
Annual Consultation with Nonpublic School Representatives
To meet requirements under Part B Federal Funding, Borden-Henryville School Corporation must locate, identify, and evaluate all children with disabilities enrolled by their parents in private school or home school who may be eligible for special education services and are located within the LEA's boundaries. Each year, an annual consultation meeting will be held between BHSC and any nonpublic school representatives of students educated in the district. Topics that will be discussed are: child find process, determination of proportionate share, consultation process, provision of special education and related services, and provision of a written explanation by the LEA regarding services (in the event of disagreement between the LEA and nonpublic school representatives). If the LEA disagrees with the views of the nonpublic school representatives on the provision of services or the types of services, the LEA will give the nonpublic school representatives a written explanation of the reasons why the LEA chose not to provide services directly or through a contract. The LEA has the final decision-making authority on services provided. The date, time, and location of the annual meeting will be advertised here.
Preschool Level 3 Provider