Referral

Are you concerned that your child or a child in our community has a disability and is in need of support and services?

Frisco Independent School District’s Child Find process seeks to collaborate with and assist families and educators in order to identify students who may need specially designed instructional supports and services.  

Frisco ISD identifies, locates, evaluates, and serves individuals with disabilities who are birth to 21 years of age and who reside within Frisco ISD and are in need of special education and related services. This includes highly mobile students entitled to an Individual Education Plan (IEP) such as migrant and homeless students, school-age individuals with disabilities attending private schools and home schools, school-age individuals with disabilities residing in nursing facilities or other residential facilities, Texas State Health and Human Services group homes, or Texas Juvenile Justice Department group homes located within Frisco ISD.

Identifying your child as a student with a disability is a significant event in the life of your child and family and requires a thorough individual evaluation. The Child Find office accepts referrals of children who may have a disability. If assessment is recommended, the assessment is provided at no cost to the parent. A referral to Child Find may be made by a parent or by any person concerned about a child. Parent involvement and agreement is obtained prior to any further action. Information is confidential and the privacy of the children and parents is protected.

Contact Information

If you are concerned that a child you know may have a disability and need specialized instruction, please contact Frisco ISD’s Child Find clerks below or click on the appropriate request link below:

Click here to request the Child Find form for early childhood special education evaluation/services

Click here to request the Child Find form for school age special education evaluation/services.

Any family who resides in or attends a non-profit private school within Frisco ISD’s boundaries that would like a special education evaluation must complete the following steps before the district will consider the request for evaluation: 

• Age-appropriate Digital Child Find form, and 

• Frisco ISD Online Registration process (Infosnap), including proof of residency 

All families seeking a special education evaluation and/or services will register at the Child Find School.

• If you reside within Frisco ISD’s boundaries, enter your home address and provide acceptable documents for proof of residency in Infosnap.

• If you do not reside within Frisco ISD’s boundaries, but your student attends a non-profit private school within the district’s boundaries, enter their home address (any city) and provide proof of enrollment/attendance at the private school as proof of residency in Infosnap.

• If you are unsure if your student’s private school is for profit or non-profit and within Frisco ISD’s district boundaries, you can contact the Special Education department for additional support and information.

Any parent/guardian that needs assistance with completing the above process can contact the Preschool Child Find clerk at the Early Childhood School or the School-Age Child Find Clerk at the Administration Building for support. Frisco ISD is ready, willing, and able to support families and/or answer questions about the registration process.

The parent-school relationship is an essential key to the success of your child. The Special Education Department and district staff look forward to working closely with you to help make your child’s school experience a positive one.

Evaluation

Special Education Evaluation Referral Process

At any time, a parent may request an evaluation for special education services by contacting the campus and requesting that the request be considered by the Student Support Team (SST) or the Section 504 Committee if the student is or may be protected under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. If the SST or 504 Committee recommends a special education evaluation, Frisco ISD must decide if the evaluation is needed within a reasonable period of time. If the evaluation is needed, the parent will be notified and offered an opportunity to provide informed written consent for the evaluation no later than the 15th school day after the written request for evaluation is made.

Frisco ISD must complete the evaluation and the written report within 45 school days from the date Frisco ISD receives the written consent and will provide a copy of the evaluation report to the parent. In accordance with state mandates, timelines may extend due to student absences.
 
Frisco ISD will not use intervention strategies, including multi-tiered systems of support, to delay or deny the provision of a full and individual evaluation of a child suspected of having a specific learning disability, including dyslexia or a related disorder.
 
If an evaluation is not warranted, Frisco ISD will provide the parent with prior written notice which explains why the student will not be evaluated. This written notice will include a statement that informs parents of their rights; in addition, Frisco ISD will provide parents a copy of the Notice of Procedural Safeguards. Additional information regarding IDEA is available in a companion document, Parent’s Guide to the Admission, Review, and Dismissal Process. 

Eligibility

Which children are served by Special Education?

Students served through special education are children who are identified as having one of the following disabilities and by reason of that disability, the child need special education and related services:

• Autism (AU)

• Deaf-Blindness (DB)

• Deaf or Hard of Hearing (HH)

• Emotional Disturbance (ED)

• Intellectual Disability (ID)

• Multiple Disabilities (MD)

• Orthopedic Impairment (OI)

• Other Health Impairment (OHI)

• Specific Learning Disability (SLD)

• Speech or Language Impairment (SI)

• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

• Visual Impairment (VI)

• Non-Categorical Early Childhood (NCEC)

Frisco ISD complies with all state and federal mandates to provide special education to students including the state’s policies and procedures designed to prevent the inappropriate over-identification or disproportionate representation by race and ethnicity of children as children with disabilities, including children with disabilities with a particular impairment.