Child Find Procedures

Child Find is a program by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) in cooperation with NexTech High School. Child Find requires districts to identify, locate and evaluate children (birth through age 25) with disabilities, including children who are homeless, wards of the state, migrants and those who attend private schools.

The primary purpose is to identify children who have a disability that affects his or her progress in the general education curriculum . This information is used to determine if the student is eligible for special education programs and services and to address the unique needs of the student.

Any parent, physician, agency, or individual may refer a child to Child Find by written request or by contacting Dan McMinn at dmcminn@gr.nextechhigh.org, or by calling 616-458-4992.

The Child Find team monitors each student’s performance through the tiers of intervention. If these interventions do not achieve expected results, the team may refer the student for a special education evaluation. However, at any time the parent may still request an initial evaluation to determine if their child meets eligibility requirements, regardless of the district’s use of the multiple tiers of intervention. These interventions cannot be used to delay or deny the provision of an initial evaluation or a free and appropriate education. All evaluations are coordinated and completed by either the school district in which the student resides or by the public school academy in which the student is enrolled.

Each student suspected of having a disability will be evaluated by a multidisciplinary evaluation team and will make a recommendation of eligibility. The team is comprised of certified, highly qualified staff, such as psychologists, social workers, speech therapists, and other ancillary staff. These evaluators will prepare a report to be presented to the IEP team by a team member who can explain the instructional implications of the evaluation results. The report shall include information needed by the IEP team to determine the eligibility of the student, the student's present level of academic achievement and functional performance, and any educational needs of the student. The evaluation will be completed and, if eligible, an offer of free and appropriate education (FAPE) will be provided within 30 school days from the date the written parental consent to evaluate is received.

If the child is eligible for special education, a program and/or services will be developed to meet the child’s unique needs. Special Education services may include academic programs and/or ancillary support services. Ancillary services may include social work services, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language services. Consultation services from social workers, school psychologists, and teacher consultants for students with visual or hearing impairment, or autism, are available when needed.