Pupil Personnel Office
The Hopedale Public Schools Office of Special Education oversees the delivery of specially designed instruction and/or accommodations for students with disabilities.
The Hopedale Public Schools Office of Special Education and 504 Teams are committed to providing specially designed instruction and accommodations to students with disabilities, ensuring they have equal access to quality education. We are committed to supporting students with disabilities and their families through the evaluation and eligibility determination process for Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 Plans, as well as the identification of necessary special education services and accommodations within their educational environment.
The Pupil Personnel Office provides a various support services for students with disabilities ages 3-22 years of age. The focus of these programs and services is to provide each student with the necessary skills to access the general education curriculum and to reach the highest level of independence.
Our mission is to enhance the growth of the whole child following the legal regulations put forth in the Individuals With Disabilities Act (IDEA) while implementing the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks/Common Core Standards.
Hopedale boasts a dedicated staff of highly qualified professionals who design and coordinate services for students with disabilities in a variety of settings and always focuses on the least restrictive environment.
Quality programming for students with disabilities requires continuous planning, support, and participation of the home and school. We look forward to working with you as a member of the Team to provide a happy and successful school experience for your child.
Pupil Personnel Services oversees a variety of programs in the Hopedale Public Schools that include:
Special Education
Home/Hospital Services
English Language Learners
Education for Homeless children (McKinney-Vento Act)
Home Schooling
The information available on this website was prepared to provide you with information on a variety of topics that may be of interest, as well as opportunities to seek further information which can be customized to your needs. We hope you find it helpful as we work cooperatively as a team to provide quality education for children with disabilities in Hopedale.
We welcome your input, comments, and questions, and thank you in advance for your support.
SEPAC
Hopedale SEPAC is a parent organization dedicated to providing parent education, training, and support through our seminars, various activities, and monthly meetings throughout the year.
Our mission is:
• To educate the surrounding community on the diversities in our ever-changing world.
• To teach our children to appreciate each other regardless of our differences.
• To share experiences and collectively communicate with other parents and the administration in order to better serve our children.
We meet monthly with Pupil Personnel Services and parents to share information, discuss pertinent issues, and raise awareness and acceptance of children with special needs in our school district. We represent Hopedale families with children from pre-school age through age 22. We are a member of the Massachusetts Association of Special Education Parent Advisory Councils (MassPAC).
SEPAC Advocates for Special Needs Students by:
Providing networking opportunities for parents
Collaborating with the administration
Presenting special needs related seminars and speakers
Fundraising to support students, teachers, and staff through our non-profit organization “Friends of Hopedale SEPAC”.
All parents/guardians are welcome at our monthly meetings and speaker series. Your participation is a great opportunity to meet school officials and other parents, stay informed on policy and legislative changes, and learn something new.
Visit our website on the Hopedale School District page or our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HopedaleSEPAC.
For more information on Hopedale SEPAC and our programs, contact hopedaleSEPAC@gmail.com
Chairperson: Elizabeth Callahan (randecallahan@comcast.net)
504 Plans
What is Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973?
Section 504 is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination by federally funded institutions, such as public schools, against individuals with disabilities. Section 504 ensures that a student with a disability has equal access to education. Students who qualify for a 504 plan cannot be denied the opportunity to participate in any aid, benefit, services, and/or activities that are available for students without disabilities. This includes school sponsored non-academic and extracurricular services and activities.
WHO CAN REFER A STUDENT FOR A 504 PLAN
The 504 plan process may be initiated by a parent’s written request or by the school's intervention team when the student is having academic, social, or behavioral problems that limit one or more major life activities
Major life activities include, but are not limited to, caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, eating, sleeping, walking, seeing, hearing, breathing, communicating, reading, thinking, concentrating, and learning.
In addition, the district must believe that the student needs additional support in the general education classroom in order to make progress. Prior to completing the evaluations, section 504 requires consent from the parents.
HOW DOES A STUDENT QUALIFY FOR A SECTION 504 PLAN?
In order to be eligible for a 504 plan a student must attend a school that receives federal financial assistance. In addition:
the student must be of school age;
the student must have a record establishing a mental, psychological, and/or physical disability (includes disabilities affecting behavioral controls); and
the disability must substantially limit one or more major life activities (walk, see, learn, etc.).
Students may be eligible for a 504 plan if a temporary disability limits a major life activity (walking, writing, etc.).
HOW IS A 504 PLAN DIFFERENT FROM SPECIAL EDUCATION?
In order to be found eligible for special education services, a student must be diagnosed with a disability that impairs their ability to make effective progress in school and thus requires specialized instruction and/or related services in order to make such progress.
Unlike a special education student, a student with a 504 plan is able to make effective progress in school without the need for specialized instruction and/or related services. However, they require accommodations in order to gain equal access to instruction and/or the school facility. A student’s 504 plan will provide accommodations that allow a student with a major life activity impairment to have the same level of access to the instruction, school activities, and the school building as students without disabilities.
WHAT KIND OF EVALUATIONS WILL THE SCHOOL COMPLETE?
The Hopedale Public Schools 504 team will review assessments presented by the parents and may recommend more formal assessments to be completed by appropriately trained and certified Hopedale Public School staff.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD A STUDENT BE EVALUATED FOR PURPOSES OF SECTION 504?
Hopedale Public School staff will evaluate students every three years or sooner if requested by the parents and/or teachers.
WHO DETERMINES ELIGIBILITY?
Each school has a 504 coordinator designated by the Principal to assist parents and the school. The eligibility decision must be made by a group of people including individuals that know the child, who can provide meaning to the evaluations, and can provide information regarding placement/accommodations options. Parents are not required members of this group. However, the parent must receive notice of the school’s proposed actions.
WHAT KIND OF ACCOMMODATIONS/PLACEMENTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS WITH 504 PLANS?
For purposes of a 504 plan, an accommodation/placement can mean keeping the student in the general education classroom with individual accommodations that ensure that the student will have equal access to the same results, benefits, and achievements as students without disabilities
SAMPLE ACCOMMODATIONS:
Modified homework, class work, and tests
Extra time for homework, class work, and tests
Extra set of books for home
Preferential seating close to source of instruction
Assistance when moving about the building
Grading based on individual progress or effort
Test retake for better grades
Visual aids
Test directions read orally
Use of calculator
Table of facts for reference
Frequent breaks
Behavior Intervention Plan
Procedural Safeguards
The Hopedale Public School administration is required to establish and implement procedural safeguards with respect to identification, evaluation, and placement procedures.
The procedural safeguards include:
Notice: Parents have the right to receive advance notice of evaluations and meetings as well as notice of the results and actions taken by the 504 team.
Examine Relevant Records: Parents have the right to review the documents and evidence utilized by the 504 team to determine eligibility and placement/accommodations.
Impartial Hearing: Parents have the right to file a discrimination complaint against the school district. Parents have the opportunity to participate in the hearing and to have representation of an attorney, at the family’s own cost.
Review: Right to appeal decision from hearing.
TITLE IX
What is Title IX?
Title IX is a federal civil rights law passed as part of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), which prohibits sex-based discrimination — including sexual orientation and gender identity — in any school or other education program that receives funding from the federal government. Originally adopted to address inequalities of girls and women in programs and activities such as athletics, today it provides protection against sexual harassment, sexual violence, bullying, pregnancy and parenting discrimination, and gender-based stereotyping and harassment.
New Title IX regulations, issued by The Secretary of Education, take effect on August 14, 2020, amend the regulations implementing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX). The final regulations specify how recipients of Federal financial assistance covered by Title IX, including elementary and secondary schools, must respond to allegations of sexual harassment consistent with Title IX’s prohibition against sex discrimination. The revised regulations are intended to effectuate Title IX’s prohibition against sex discrimination by requiring recipients to address sexual harassment as a form of sex discrimination in education programs or activities. The final regulations obligate recipients to respond promptly and supportively to persons alleged to be victimized by sexual harassment, resolve allegations of sexual harassment promptly and accurately under a predictable, fair grievance process that provides due process protection for alleged victims and alleged perpetrators of sexual harassment, and effectively implement remedies for victims.
It is the policy of Hopedale Public Schools not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or other legally protected classification. This prohibition includes sexual harassment. HPS is committed to maintaining a school environment free of unlawful sexual harassment. Our policy and procedures specifically address sexual harassment, as defined below, as a form of gender discrimination under Title IX.
Filing a Complaint
A formal complaint of sexual harassment may be filed by contacting our Title IX Coordinator by mail, in-person, e-mail, or phone. An employee with actual knowledge of conduct that may violate this policy must report to:
Karen Cosgrove
Title IX Coordinator
kcosgrove@hopedaleschools.org
508-634-2240
The Title IX Coordinator may delegate any and all of their responsibilities to another individual on a case-by-case basis. In the event of any such delegation, the actions of the designee shall be deemed to be the actions of our Title IX Coordinator.
Office of Civil Rights and Bureau of Special Education Appeals Contact Information
Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
OCR is part of the U.S. Department of Education and enforces section 504. An individual may file a formal complaint with OCR if a school that receives federal assistance discriminates against a student on the basis of their disability. Discrimination claims do not include claims regarding placement or 504 plan content, as long as the school followed the procedural requirements. A complaint must be filed within 180 days from the date of the alleged discrimination.
Any concerns with the 504 plan implementation should be brought to the Principal's attention.
If you wish to file a complaint with OCR, please contact:
Office of Civil Rights, Boston Office
U.S. Department of Education
8th Floor
5 Post Office Square
Boston, MA 02109-3921
Phone: (617) 289-0111 Fax: (617) 289-0150
Email: OCR.Boston@ed.gov
www.ed.gov/ocr/complaintprocess.html
Bureau of Special Education Appeals (BSEA)
If the parent and school cannot agree on services for the child, the parent may request either mediation or a due process hearing at the Bureau of Special Education Appeals (BSEA). The BSEA is an administrative division of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) that resolves disputes between parents and school districts.
As a practical matter, prior to considering a hearing at the BSEA, the parent should have evidence that the child needs the services the parent desires. Both the mediation and hearing processes are intended to be accessible to families without legal representation. The hearing process is more adversarial and formal than the mediation process. At a hearing, similar to a court trial, the parents have a right to present documents and witnesses in support of their position.
The BSEA may be contacted at:
Bureau of Special Education Appeals
One Congress Street, 11th Floor
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: (617)626-7250
www.mass.gov/anf/hearings-andappeals/bureau-of-special-education-appeals-bsea/
Child Find
Under federal and state special education regulations, Hopedale Public Schools has a duty to locate, identify, refer, evaluate and, if eligible, provide a free, appropriate public education to students with disabilities who reside in the town of Hopedale. Child Find documents can be found in the document section of the Hopedale website. For parents or guardians of children ages 3-21 years of age who have a disability or developmental delay, and who would like more information, please contact Karen Cosgrove, Pupil Personnel Director and Child Find Coordinator, at 508-634-2240
PPS Office Contacts:
Karen Cosgrove - Pupil Personnel Director 508-634-2240 kcosgrove@hopedaleschools.org
Sara Gerges - PPS Office Administrative Assistant 508-634-2240 sgerges@hopedaleschools.org
Mark Campopiano - PPS Office Clerk 508-634-2240 mcampopiano@hopedaleschools.org