Child Find

At any time, a parent may request an evaluation for special education services by contacting the campus and requesting that the petition be considered by the RTI/MTSS team or the Section 504 Committee if the student is or may be protected under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. If the RTI/MTSS team or 504 Committee recommends a special education evaluation, Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD must decide if the evaluation is needed within a reasonable period of time. If the evaluation is needed, the parent will be notified and offered an opportunity to provide informed written consent for the evaluation no later than the 15th school day after the written request for evaluation is made. 

Carrollton- Farmers Branch ISD must complete the evaluation and the written report within 45 school days from the date Carrollton- Farmers Branch ISD receives the written consent and will provide a copy of the evaluation report to the parent. In accordance with the state mandates, timelines may extend due to student absences. 

Carrollton-Farmers Branch will not use intervention strategies, including multi-tiered systems of support, to delay or deny the provision of a full and individual evaluation of a child suspected of having a specific learning disability, including dyslexia or related disorder. 

If an evaluation is not warranted, Carrollton- Farmers Branch ISD will provide the parent with prior written notice which explains why the student will not be evaluated. This written notice will include a statement that informs parents of their rights; in addition, Carrollton - Farmers Branch ISD will provide parents a copy of the Notice of Procedural Safeguards. Additional information regarding IDEA is available in a companion document, Parent’s Guide to Admission Review and Dismissal Process. 

Students served through special education are children who are identified as having one of the following disabilities and by reason of that disability, the child need special education and related services:

• Autism (AU)
• Deaf-Blindness (DB)
• Deaf or Hard of Hearing (HH)
• Emotional Disability (ED)
• Intellectual Disability (ID)
• Multiple Disabilities (MD)
• Orthopedic Impairment (OI)
• Other Health Impairment (OHI)
• Specific Learning Disability (SLD)
• Speech or Language Impairment (SI)
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
• Visual Impairment (VI)
• Non-Categorical Early Childhood (NCEC)

Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD complies with all state and federal mandates to provide special education to students, including the state’s policies and procedures designed to prevent the inappropriate over-identification or disproportionate representation by race and ethnicity of children with disabilities, including children with disabilities with a particular impairment. 

Children who are birth to 3 years old who have a Visual Impairment (VI), an Auditory Impairment (AI), and/or Deafblindness (DB) may be served by CFBISD.  After obtaining medical documentation of a hearing or vision loss, the Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) Program will obtain consent from the parent and then make an initial referral to CFBISD.  A CFBISD evaluation specialist will work collaboratively with ECI to gather information and determine the scope of the evaluation.

A child who is age birth – 3 years old must meet IDEA requirements for VI/AI/or DB eligibility to receive services through CFBISD.  Once the eligibility is established, CFB ISD will provide services to the child as determined by the Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) team.  Services for students with vision impairments are provided by a CFBISD Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI) and/or a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS).  Services for students with auditory impairments are provided by CFB ISD through a shared services arrangement with Dallas ISD Regional Day School Program for the Deaf (RDSPD).

The district’s child find duties also extend to students with disabilities who attend home school or who are placed in private school within the district’s boundaries regardless of place of residence.  If you concerned that a child you know, who is currently enrolled in home school or private school, may have a disability and need specialized instruction, please contact Fozia Yasmin in the CFBISD Special Education Department at 972-968-5800 for more information or to begin a referral.

Each summer, CFBISD solicits input from parents and private schools regarding the development of the district’s proportionate share plan for the provision of private and home school services through its annual consultation meeting.  The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the possible range of special education services for those students whose responsibility lies with CFBISD.

Charter schools are also responsible for identifying, locating, and evaluating their current students with known or suspected disabilities and for providing needed services for their eligible students.