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.

Child Find Steps

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: 

1. Child Find Form
   Complete the Frisco ISD Child Find form below. Choose the form appropriate for your student’s age, as of September 1st of the current school year. If you need the form translated into your native language, please reach out to the appropriate Special Education Clerk listed below.

   • Early Childhood Child Find Form

   • School Age Child Find Form

2. Student Registration
   Your next step is to complete Frisco ISD’s PowerSchool Registration.

   • Select the "New Student Registration" Form for the current school year & choose one of the options with "Child Find" as your Reason for Registration.

     • If you also want to attend school in Frisco ISD, make sure you have chosen the "Enroll & Child Find" option as your Reason for Registration.

   • Enter the passcode given to you by the Special Education department.

   • If you have any questions about completing the registration form, please contact a special education clerk for assistance.

3. Campus Connection
   When PowerSchool Registration is complete, a special education clerk will connect you with the campus team who will complete the evaluation.

4. Evaluation
   The campus evaluation team will reach out to you to schedule a consent meeting.

   • The evaluation team will also schedule walk-in appointments to complete the necessary testing.

   • Please be prepared to bring your student to a Frisco ISD facility for testing.

Please view the printable step-by-step guide. Any parent/guardian that needs assistance with completing the above process can contact a Child Find clerk at the Early Childhood School or the School-Age Child Find Clerk at the Administration Building. 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.

Contact Information

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 need special education and related services:

• Autism (AU)

• Deaf-Blindness (DB)

• Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH)

• Developmental Delay (DD)

• Emotional Disability (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.