Special Services
Legends Virtual Academy offers robust special education services to support students and meet their needs, empowering them to thrive in school and beyond. With high quality, personalized learning and the help of teachers and support staff, students with special needs can achieve their academic goals, find their confidence, and pave a path to success.Please submit any special programs documents to lvaspdocs@legendsva.org
Parent Right to Know
- 2018-2019 Parents Right to Know Form- English [PDF]
- 2018-2019 Parent Right to-Know form- Spanish [PDF]
English Language Learners (ELL) Coordinator
A Home Language Survey (HLS) is required to be on file for every student enrolled at LVA. LVA uses the home language survey responses to begin the identification process of English language learners. Identified English Language Learners are provided supplemental support through English Language support and instruction and, when applicable, supplemental curriculum. The tutor serves as an advocate and support system while helping the student gain proficiency in English. The person providing the English Language support and instruction will partner with the student, Learning Coach, and general education teachers.
If your student may need ELL services, please contact Mollie Long at mlong@legendsva.org
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Learn more about the privacy of students’ education records from the U.S. Department of Education
Request for Parent/Guardian Disability Accommodations
Request for Parent/Guardian Interpreter Services or Disability Accommodations
Professional interpreter services may be requested at any time for parents/guardians of students with disabilities by contacting Laura Coleman at lcoleman@legendsva.org
Additionally, if any parent/guardian has a disability or other limitation that would impact their ability to participate fully in their child’s educational planning process, LVA would be happy to discuss accommodations that may be available to maximize the parent/guardian’s participation. Individuals seeking to discuss accommodations for this reason may contact Laura Coleman at lcoleman@legendsva.org
American with Disabilities (ADA) Compliance Act Coordinator/Special Programs Manager
Identification of Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Compliance Act Coordinator/Special Programs Manager
Contact:
Laura Coleman
Current Copy of Procedural Safeguards Notice Regarding Special Education
Parents and guardians of children eligible for or currently receiving special education services have certain state and federal rights. For more information on parent rights in special education, a copy of the Alabama State Department of Education Parent Rights in Special Education and Notice of Procedural Safeguards is available through the link below and on the Alabama Department of Education website.
Annual Public Notice of Special Services & Programs
Annual Public Notice of Special Services and Programs
In accordance with federal and state regulations, LVA will provide an annual public notice to families informing them of LVA’s Child Find responsibilities, procedures involved in the identification of educational disabilities, and determination of students’ service and support needs.
Special Education Grievances or Dispute Resolution
Dispute Resolution Options
IEP Facilitation—IEP facilitation is a voluntary process that can be used when all parties at an IEP meeting agree the presence of a neutral third party would help facilitate communication and the successful drafting of the student’s IEP. This process is not necessary for most IEP meetings. Rather, it is used most often when the participants sense that the issues at the IEP meeting are creating an impasse or acrimonious climate.
Mediation—A voluntary process in which both parties seek to resolve issues with an unbiased, third-party mediator from the Alabama Department of Education. The mediator will write up the details of the agreement the parties reach through the mediation conference; both parties sign the agreement, and the agreement is mandated to be implemented. This process is less time-consuming, stressful, and expensive than a due process hearing.
Formal Due Process
Families are NOT obligated to pursue the above alternatives to due process should they feel, their concerns can only be resolved through a formal due process hearing. If a formal complaint against LVA is submitted, the complaint must be written and include a statement that the local education agency (LEA) has violated a requirement under IDEA, Part B; the facts on which the statement is based; and the signature of the person(s) filing the complaint.
504 Coordinator
Identification of Section 504 Coordinator:
Mollie Long
Section 504 is a part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that prohibits discrimination based on disability. Section 504 is an anti-discrimination, civil rights statue that requires the needs of students with disabilities to be met as adequately as that of the non-disabled.
Child Find
If, through Child Find activities, a child is identified as possibly having a disability and in need of special education services, LVA may seek parent consent to evaluate the child. All such evaluations will be conducted in compliance with applicable federal and state laws and regulations. Parents must report that their child has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) during the enrollment process. Please contact the Special Education Manager, Laura Coleman, at lcoleman@alvirtual.org to report students who may be in need for these specialized educational and/or related services.
Gifted Education
Gifted Education provides technical assistance to all public-school systems serving Alabama’s gifted children. Intellectually gifted children and youth are those who perform or who have demonstrated the potential to perform at high levels in academic or creative fields when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment. Contact the Gifted Coordinator Laura Hall at lhall@legendsva.org for more information.
Special Education Consent to Evaluate
Consent
LVA cannot proceed with an evaluation, or with the initial provision of special education and related services, without the written consent of a student’s parents/legal guardians. For additional information related to consent, please refer to the Procedural Safeguards Notice [PDF].
Once written parental/guardian consent is obtained, LVA will proceed with the evaluation process. If the parent disagrees with the evaluation results, the parent can request an independent education evaluation at public expense.
Special Education (IEP) or Service Agreements (504 Plans)
Special Education (IEP) or Service Agreements (504 Plans)
Once the evaluation process is completed, a team of qualified school personnel, parents/guardians, and other relevant service providers hold an evaluation determination meeting to come to agreement on whether the student meets eligibility for one of the disability categories under IDEA.
View the Alabama Department of Education’s Special Education Handbook for information about eligibility criteria associated with the disability categories.
If the student is eligible and requires specially designed instruction, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) will be coordinated; during which the IEP team will review and finalize the proposed details of an appropriate educational program to meet the student’s documented needs.
For students confirmed to present with special education needs, once the IEP team agrees on the IEP and the student’s educational placement, a prior written notice (PWN) will be sent to the parent/guardian for signature. This must be signed and returned to LVA. LVA can only proceed with implementing the student’s IEP (or 504 Plan) upon receipt of the signed PWN. Some students are found to present with one or more disability, but do not meet the eligibility criteria outlined under IDEA (special education); however, their disability may still require LVA to develop a 504 Service Agreement (504 Plan) to outline the special provisions a student may require for adaptations and/or accommodations in school-based instruction, facilities, and/or activities.
Students may be eligible to certain accommodations or services if they have a mental or physical disability that substantially limits or prohibits participation in or access to an aspect of the school program and otherwise qualify under the applicable laws. LVA will ensure that qualified students with disabilities have equal opportunity to participate in the school program and activities to the maximum extent appropriate for each individual student. In compliance with applicable state and federal laws, LVA will provide students with disabilities with the necessary educational services and supports they need to access and benefit from their educational program. This is to be done without discrimination or out-of-pocket cost to the student or family for the essential supplementary aids, services, or accommodations determined to provide equal opportunity to participate in and obtain the benefits of the school program and extracurricular activities to the maximum extent appropriate to the student’s abilities and to the extent required by the laws.
View the Alabama Department of Education’s Special Education Handbook for information related to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Parents/Guardians have the right to revoke consent for services after initial placement. Please note, a revocation of consent removes the student from ALL special services and supports outlined on their IEP or 504 Plan. To learn more, view the Alabama Department of Education’s Special Education Handbook.
Homeless Liaison/MKV Coordinator
Identification of Homeless Coordinator
Katt Boxley
McKinney Vento Definition, Rights, and Services
McKinney-Vento Act
LVA provides McKinney-Vento/homeless assistance and support for eligible families. The McKinney-Vento Act defines “homeless children and youth” as:
(A) Individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, and
(B) Includes:
1. Children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement;
2. Children and youths who have a primary night-time residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
3. Children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
4. Migratory children who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described in clauses (i) through (iii).
Children and youth are considered homeless if they fit both part A and any one of the subparts of part B of the definition above.
Resources:
McKinney-Vento Parent Right to Know [PDF]
Foster Care Coordinator
Identification of Foster Care Coordinator
Katt Boxley
kboxley@legendsva.org
Under the requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), LVA shall identify all students in foster care and have a foster care plan developed.