Chickpeas is an inclusive school. We are able to accept children who have active IEPs that stipulate they are placed in a General Education classroom with Related Services. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate students with IEPs that stipulate placement in Special Classes or ICT Classrooms. Each year, teachers also help identify students who could benefit from extra support and offer advice and guidance to families on moving through the referral, evaluation, and IEP process with the Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE). Extra support services may include speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, SEITs, etc. We do our best to arrange these services during a child's regular school day, and welcome service providers into the classroom as new and important members of the community called "helping teachers." 

 

If/when teachers believe a child could benefit from extra support services, they will reach out to the child’s family for a meeting to gather information about the child’s habits and abilities at home, discuss our observations of how the child may be struggling in the classroom, and outline the referral and evaluation process. Families always retain the right to refuse referrals and evaluations. 

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For more on the CPSE process and familial rights, go to: Advocates for Children's Guide to Special Education.

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