Request for Parent/Guardian Interpreter Services or Disability Accommodations
Special Education Consent to Evaluate
Achieve Detroit Academy cannot proceed with an evaluation, or with the initial provision of special education and related services, without the written consent of a student’s parents/legal guardians. For additional information related to consent, please refer to the Procedural Safeguards Notice. Once written parental/guardian consent is obtained, Achieve Detroit Academy will proceed with the evaluation process. If the parent disagrees with the evaluation results, the parent can request an independent education evaluation at public expense.
Special Education (IEP) or Service Agreements (504 Plans)
Once the evaluation process is completed, a team of qualified school personnel, parents/guardians, and other relevant service providers hold an evaluation determination meeting to come to agreement on whether the student meets eligibility for one of the disability categories under IDEA. If the student is eligible and requires specially designed instruction, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) will be coordinated; during which the IEP team will review and finalize the proposed details of an appropriate educational program to meet the student’s documented needs.
For students confirmed to present with special education needs, once the IEP team agrees on the IEP and the student’s educational placement, a Prior Written Notice will be sent to the parent/guardian for signature. This must be signed and returned to Achieve Detroit Academy. Achieve Detroit Academy can only proceed with implementing the student’s IEP upon receipt of the signed Prior Written Notices. Some students are found to present with one or more disability, but do not meet the eligibility criteria outlined under IDEA (special education); however, their disability may still require Achieve Detroit Academy to develop a 504 Service Agreement (504 Plan) to outline the special provisions a student may require for adaptations and/or accommodations in school-based instruction, facilities, and/or activities.
Students may be eligible to certain accommodations or services if they have a mental or physical disability that substantially limits or prohibits participation in or access to an aspect of the school program and otherwise qualifies under the applicable laws. AchieveDetroit Academy will ensure that qualified students with disabilities have equal opportunity to participate in the school program and activities to the maximum extent appropriate for each individual student. In compliance with applicable state and federal laws, AchieveDetroit Academy will provide students with disabilities the necessary educational services and support they require to access and benefit from their educational program. This is to be done without discrimination or out of pocket cost to the student or family for the essential supplementary aids, services or accommodations determined to provide equal opportunity to participate in and obtain the benefits of the school program and extracurricular activities to the maximum extent appropriate to the student’s abilities and to the extent required by the laws.
Parents/Guardians have the right to revoke consent for services after initial placement. Please note, a revocation of consent removes the student from ALL special services and supports outlined on the IEP or 504 Plan. Click here to view more.
Special Education Grievances or Disputes
Achieve Detroit Academy recognizes that despite best intentions of all parties, disagreements or miscommunications may arise between the school-based team and families or students. Should this situation occur, the Achieve Detroit Academy special education case manager will initiate an IEP team discussion where the specific details contributing to any educational concern are fully discussed and addressed as the entire team determines would be most appropriate for the student. Collaboration is a primary focus for this type of meeting, and the Achieve Detroit Special Education Team seeks to establish and maintain the confidence of its families to always serve its students in order to maximize their educational success. Here is a link with more information about the Dispute Resolution process from the Michigan Department of Education.
Dispute Resolution Options
To discourage unnecessary and costly litigation, the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires states to establish and implement procedures for parents and school districts to resolve special education disputes through a process known as mediation. In Michigan, this service is administered by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), Office of Special Education (OSE), which coordinates the Special Education Mediation Services (SEMS) program. SEMS provides free, neutral facilitation and mediation to help parents and schools resolve disputes regarding special education services without going to a due process hearing. Here is a link with more information about the Dispute Resolution options.
Homeless Liaison/MKV Coordinator:
Shannon Van Lente
Principal
Achieve Detroit Academy
2001 W Warren Ave.
Detroit MI, 48208
313.482.9775
Definition, Rights, and Services
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is a federal law that works to ensure educational stability for homeless youth and allows homeless students to enroll in school and receive transportation without delay. The Act defines homeless children as “individuals who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.” Examples of children who fall under this definition include:
- Children sharing housing due to economic hardship or loss of housing;
- Children living in “motels, hotels, trailer parks, or campgrounds due to lack of alternative accommodations”
- Children living in “emergency or transitional shelters”
- Children whose primary nighttime residence is not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation (e.g. park benches, etc.)
- Children living in “cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations…”
This Act guarantees homeless children and youth the following:
- The right to immediate enrollment in school, even if lacking paperwork normally required for enrollment
- The right to attend school in his/her school of origin or in the school in the attendance area where the family or youth is currently residing
- The right to receive transportation to his/her school of origin
- The right to services comparable to those received by housed schoolmates, including transportation and supplemental educational services
- The right to an “equal playing field” and the removal of all barriers to receiving educational services
- The right to attend school along with children not experiencing homelessness. Segregation based on a student’s status as homeless is strictly prohibited.
- The posting of homeless students’ rights in all schools and other places around the community.
Every school is required by law to designate a local liaison for children and youth experiencing homelessness. The liaison works to make sure that homeless children and youth enroll in school and have the opportunity to succeed academically.
McKinney Vento Dispute Resolution Procedures
EL Coordinator:
Lauren Agee
Director of Special Education
Achieve Detroit Academy
2001 W Warren Ave.
Detroit MI, 48208
313.482.9775
As part of the enrollment process all parents enrolling their student in a public school for the first time will be asked to complete a home language survey (HLS). The answers from this survey will allow the school to determine if the student should be screened to determine if the student speaks another language besides English and if the student qualifies to receive English language services and support.
Special Education Contact/ADA Coordinator:
Lauren Agee
Director of Special Education
Achieve Detroit Academy
2001 W Warren Ave.
Detroit MI, 48208
313.482.9775
Migrant Liaison:
Shannon Van Lente
Principal
Achieve Detroit Academy
2001 W Warren Ave.
Detroit MI, 48208
313.482.9775
Foster Care Liason:
Lauren Agee
Director of Special Education
Achieve Detroit Academy
2001 W Warren Ave.
Detroit MI, 48208
313.482.9775
Under the requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Michigan school districts must identify all students in foster care, ensure their educational stability (which may include developing a foster care transportation plan), and collaborate with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and, when applicable, Tribal Child Welfare Agencies to carry out these responsibilities. Please reach out to the school to obtain further information. Michigan’s dispute resolution process for disagreements about foster‐care transportation is available through the Michigan Department of Education—Foster Care Transportation Dispute Resolution program.
