Coming Soon - Special Education / Early Supports & Services Alert

Important Opportunities for Public Input

Please plan to attend

Changes are going to be made to both NH’s special education regulations (the NH Rules for the Education of Children with Disabilities) and NH’s Early Supports & Services Rules & Regulations.

A summary of the key changes being proposed or issues being considered will be sent out within the next few days.

Parents, educators and others made a tremendous impact when NH recently revised our special education law and regulations.  The NH Department of Education and the NH Bureau of Developmental Services have asked for public input before they revise their rules and regulations.  Please don’t disappoint them!  Your involvement is needed once again if important rights and protections for infants, toddlers and children with disabilities and their families remain part of NH’s rules and regulations. 

Public Hearings on Revised He-M 510 (Rules and Regulations for NH Early Supports & Services) and Proposed He-M 203 (Dispute Resolution for Early Supports & Services) will be held on:

For additional information about these hearings, you may contact Carolyn Stiles, Program Coordinator for Family-Centered Early Supports and Services at 603-271-5122/1-800-852-3345, or at cstiles@dhhs.state.nh.us

Parent/School/Community Forums on the changes needed to the NH Rules for the Education of Children with Disabilities (special education regulations) will be held on: 

Monday, August 24, 2009

9:30 – 11:30 am and 3:30 – 5:30 pm

NH Department of Education, Room 15

 101 Pleasant St.

Concord, NH 03301

You may be asking, “Didn’t we just finish revising the NH Rules?  Why are we discussing more changes?”

There are two reasons that the NH Rules will need to be revised again:

1. To incorporate a recent amendment to the Federal special education regulations, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), sec. 300.300 that affects parental consent, and
2. To incorporate the changes to NH’s special education law (RSA 186-C) made by a House Bill (HB 766) that went into effect this January. 

For more information, or if you need special accommodations (Interpreter), please call Barbara Raymond, NH Department of Education at (603) 271-3791

Directions:

To the Adult Learning Center in Nashua may be found at: http://www.adultlearningcenter.org/html/directions.htm

To Granite State College in Conway (from the college website):

From Portsmouth and points south: I-95 north to Spaulding Turnpike to Route 16 into Conway, NH.

From Concord and points west: Take I-93 north to exit 23, Turn right onto Route 104 east.  Follow Route 104 east to Route 3 north (turn left). Follow Route 3 north to Route 25 east (turn right). Follow Route 25 to Route 16 in Ossipee. Turn left onto Route 16 north. At the 2nd intersection (Route 16 &113) turn left onto 16 North. We are located 8/10ths of a mile on the right hand side, immediately after Select Realty.

From Maine and points east:  Follow Route 302 west to Route 113 into Conway Village. At next light in Conway Village, (Irving Gas Station on Corner) turn right onto Route 16 north. Continue 8/10ths of a mile to The Technology Village Business Park on right, immediately after Select Realty.

From the North:  From the intersection of Route 16/302 south go straight on Route towards Conway. Continue 1.9 miles to the Technology Village Business Park on the left, immediately after Coldwell Bankers/Wright Realty.

To the NH Department of Education in Concord (from the NH DOE website):

From Southern New Hampshire (via I-93 North): Take I-93 North to exit 14 (Loudon Road) and turn left at the end of the ramp. At the fourth light, turn left onto Main Street . At the first light, turn right onto Pleasant Street . Go straight through three sets of lights and turn left at the HUGH J GALLEN STATE OFFICE PARK. From there, turn left and follow the signs to the Department of Education.

From Northern New Hampshire (via I-93 South): Take I-93 South to exit 14 (Loudon Road) and turn right at the end of the ramp. At the second light, turn left onto Main Street . At the first light, turn right onto Pleasant Street . Go straight through three sets of lights and turn left at the HUGH J GALLEN STATE OFFICE PARK. From there, turn left and follow the signs to the Department of Education.

From Western New Hampshire (via I-89 South): Take I-89 South to exit 2 (Clinton Street) and turn right at the end of the ramp. At the first traffic light, turn left onto Fruit Street. At traffic lights at the five way intersection, turn right onto Pleasant Street. Turn right again at the HUGH J GALLEN, STATE OFFICE PARK. From there, turn left and follow the signs to the Department of Education.

From Eastern New Hampshire (via Route 4): Take Route 4 West to I-393 West. Go to the end and turn left onto Main Street. At the fourth traffic light, turn right onto Pleasant Street. Go straight through three sets of lights and turn left at the HUGH J GALLEN, STATE OFFICE PARK From there, turn left and follow the signs to the Department of Education.

WONDERFUL NEWS! The NH Rules for the Education of Children with Disabilities has been adopted and is in effect June 30, 2008.

For more details scroll to the bottom. 

 Key Changes are:

   1. Short-term objectives for all children with disabilities unless the parent determines them unnecessary for some or all of the child’s annual goals;

   2. 45-day evaluation timeline (with one 15-day extension allowed);

   3. Transition services planning beginning by age 14;

   4. The “sufficiency statement” (whether the child’s progress is sufficient to meet the annual goal) as part of the regular progress reports to parents;

   5. Parental consent requirements for each step in the special education process;

   6. 10-day written notice before an IEP meeting (5 days for manifestation meetings);

   7. A complete copy of the IEP for each of the child’s teachers/service providers and parents;

Additionally, the NH Rules require:

   1. Response within 21 days when a parent requests an IEP meeting;

   2. Access to evaluation reports and other relevant documents 5 days prior to an IEP meeting;

   3. Timeline and procedures to be followed for excusals of IEP team members; and

   4. More clear and comprehensive monitoring, enforcement and corrective action processes.

Adopted Rules

Adopted by the State Board June 11, 2008, in effect June 30, 2008

Ed 1100,  N.H. Rules for the Education of Students with Disabilities

N.H Rules for the Education of Students with Disabilities  

N.H. Rules Presentations ~ Questions & Answers

Parent/School/Community Forums ~ New Hamsphire Rules for the Education of Children with Disabilties   

Annual State Application under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act as Amended in 2004

for Federal Fiscal Year 2009    (CFDA No. 84.027A and 84.173A)

New Hampshire Special Education State Performance Plan (SPP) and Annual Performance Report (APR)

June 1, 2009 OSEP Letter ~ Annual Performance Report (APR) 

New Hampshire Special Education Procedural Safeguards Handbook   December 2008

 Parent Guide to Individuals with Disabilities Act

(IDEA 2004)

Overview of Key Changes in IDEA 2004

 Preschool Services under IDEA

School and Education Law Articles

 NH RSA 186-C: Special Education

 Forum Guide to The Privacy of Student Information - A Resource for Schools

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA)

 Who's My Legislator?

 How to Track a House Bill and more...

 Ed 1100, Standards for the Education of Students with a Disability

 New Hampshire Rules for the Education of Children with Disabilities 2002

(NH special education law)

 Individuals for Disabilities Education Improvement Act P.L. 108-466

 IDEA Regulations ~ Federal Register,

August 14, 2006

 (Rights of children with disabilities and their parents)