IHBAC - Child Find
IHBAC - Child Find
M.S.A.D.MSAD #3535 has been approved by the Commissioner of the Maine Department of Education (DOE) to assume responsibility for Child Find activities and for ensuring a free and appropriate education [FAPE] for children eligible under Part B, Section 619 of the Individuals With Disabilities Act, i.e., children with disabilities ages 3 to 5.
MSAD 35 seeks to ensure that all children residing within its jurisdiction who are school-age,between 5the ages of 3 and under the22 ageyears of 22,age, and who are in need of special education and supportiverelated assistance.services are identified, located, and evaluated at public expense. This includes students with disabilities who are homeless children, wards of the state wards,or state agency clients, studentschildren whowith have been suspended or expelled, childrendisabilities attending private schools and receiving home instruction, highly mobile children incarcerated(including inmigrant countyor jails,homeless), children who have the equivalent of 10 full days of unexcused absences or 7 consecutive school days of unexcused absences during a school year, highly mobileand children (includingincarcerated migrantin orcounty homeless),jails, and children who are suspected of being disabled and in need of special education and supportiverelated assistanceservices even though they are advancing from grade to gradegrade. are identified, located, and evaluated.
MSAD #35’35’s child find responsibility shall be accomplished through a unit-wide process which, while not a definitive or final judgment of a student’s capabilities or disability, is a possible indicator of special education needs. Final identification of students with disabilities and programming for such students occurs only after an appropriate evaluation and a determination by the IEP Team.
The school unit shall provide Childchild Findfind during the first 30 days of the school year or during the first 30 days of enrollment for transfer children, in addition to other Childchild Findfind activities provided by the school unit.
This Childchild Findfind process shall include obtaining data on each child through multiple measures, direct assessment, and parent information regarding the child’s academic and functional performance, gross and fine motor skills, receptive and expressive language skills, vision, hearing and cognitive skills. MSAD #3535 may schedule child find activities during its annual pre-kindergarten and kindergarten enrollment to assist in planning for necessary special education and related serviceservices at the start of the school year. If screening occurs in the spring prior to school entry, MSAD #35 will refer the child to the regional Child Development Services (CDS) site within 10 school days.
If the Childchild Findfind process indicates that a student may require special education and supportive services in order to benefit from regular education, the student shall be referred to the IEP Teamteam to determine the student’s eligibility for special education services.
School staff, parents, or agency representatives or other individuals with knowledge of the child may refer children to the IEP team if they believe that the student, because of a disability, may be in need of special education and supportive services in order to benefit from regular education. Such a referral should follow the school unit’s pre-referral and referral policy.
Legal Reference:
34 C.F.R. § 300.111 (2006), Me. Dept. of Educ. Rule Ch. 101, IV 2(A), (C) (2015),
Me Dept. of Educ. Administrative Letter 1 (January 21, 20212021)
Policy Adopted: April 1, 1987
Policy Revised: December 6, 1989,1989; May 1, 1996,1996; January 8, 2003,2003; December 1, 2004 and2004; November 17, 2010,2010; November 17, 20212021; October 2025