Staff and Parent Resources

The Wilson County Schools Exceptional Children Department is committed to professional excellence, educational and skill development, integrity, and accountability by proactively providing specialized instruction and staff support that ensures quality programs in the LRE that will lead students with disabilities to optimal participation in today’s society.

Parent Rights & Responsibilities in Special Education: NC Notice of Procedural Safeguards  (archived)

DERECHOS Y RESPONSABILIDADES DE LOS PADRES DE FAMILIA EN EDUCACIÓN ESPECIAL (archived)

This handbook is designed to support families with the understanding of the rights and responsibilities specific to the special education process. Acronyms and terms often used in special education and resources can be found in the appendices. If, at any time, you suspect your student may have a disability and needs special education and/or related services, you may request an evaluation, in writing, to your student’s school principal, teacher, or local EC Department.

Project Child Find Posters and Brochures are mailed annually to LEA School Systems and Central Offices, Charter Schools, State-Operated Programs, and Non-Public Schools in our effort to locate and serve children with special needs. Project Child Find information (archived). 

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Exceptional Children Division

The mission of the Exceptional Children Division is to ensure that students with disabilities develop intellectually, physically, emotionally, and vocationally through the provision of an appropriate individualized program in the least restrictive environment.

What is NC MTSS?
Family engagement within an MTSS is defined as the active and meaningful partnerships that educators build and maintain with students’ families for the purpose of supporting student learning. It embodies the idea that all parties are equally invested in the student’s educational experience and all parties bring knowledge and skills of equal value to the table to work together. This linked infographic is intended to support NC families in understanding what NC educators are referring to when they are talking about an MTSS.

What is "support"?
NC schools that are implementing an MTSS may talk about support for students. To further define that support, NC organizes these supports around the instruction, the curriculum, and the environment. This linked infographic is intended to promote understanding and conversations around how school teams are providing these supports to all, some, and a few students based on needs.

Welcome! If you are new to Wilson County Schools and have questions about special education, please contact Executive Director of Exceptional Children Melissa McFatter. In order to make your student’s transition go smoothly, it is very important to provide your student’s new school copies of the following information during registration:

• Most recent psychoeducational report, eligibility, evaluation and/or reevaluation report;
• Current individualized education program (IEP); and
• Contact information for your student’s previous school and school district.

Please note: If a PSU has implemented a multi-tiered system of support according to the NC framework, the content above is required. Should be customized, as appropriate, to describe the PSU, its resources, and other procedures necessary to transition students from out of state and/or in state.

What to Expect
For out of state students: Once you have shared your student’s special education records, school staff will invite you to a meeting to discuss comparable services, or services similar to or the same as, provided on your student’s most recent IEP. During the meeting, school staff will also describe the initial eligibility process that occurs when students move from out of state and the timeline in which an initial North Carolina (NC) IEP will be developed.

For in state students but new to Wilson County Schools
School staff will begin implementing your student’s current NC on their first day of school. An invitation to review and revise your student’s IEP may be scheduled. The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss your student’s transition to a new school and to determine if any adjustments to the services and supports currently being provided are needed.

From time to time, disagreements between families and schools may occur regarding the development and implementation a student’s individualized education program (IEP). It is highly recommended that the following steps be considered in order to resolve differences quickly.

● ADDRESS AT CLASSROOM LEVEL
First -Talk to your child’s teacher about your concerns

● ADDRESS AT SCHOOL LEVEL
Second -Talk to the Principal at your child’s school about your concerns

● ADDRESS AT LEA LEVEL
If you still have concerns the EC Director of your school/district