Santa Barbara County
Special Education Local Plan Area: A Joint Powers Agency
Request for Consideration of SBCSELPA Funded Mental Health Nonpublic School (NPS) Placement
To be completed by the referring Local Education Agency (LEA) Special Education Administrator/designee and forwarded to the SBCSELPA Director for consideration of an NPS placement in order for the SBCSELPA Director to determine if the NPS placement (residential or nonresidential) meets the criteria for being funded out of SBCSELPA shared funding.
Directions: The referring Local Education Agency (LEA)/district Special Education Administrator/Designee completes all of the following steps:
Step 1: The Special Education Administrator/designee is to contact the SBCSELPA Director as soon as possible to notify him/her of the potential for a student NPS placement and possible forthcoming request for access to SBCELPA funding.
Step 2: Complete the following checklist:
1) Parent / Guardian request for an NPS placement
Reminder: Within 15 days of the receipt of the request, the LEA Special Education Administrator/designee must send the parent(s)/guardian(s) a Prior Written Notice (PWN).
IEP team recommends a potential consideration of a NPS placement
Other (describe)______
2) Is student eligible for special education services: yes no
3) If yes to item 2, student’s primary disability is: ______secondary disability (if applicable): ______
4) Does student have mental health diagnosis: yes no
If yes, indicate diagnosis: ______
5) Is student Medi-Cal eligible: yes no
6) IEP team has ruled out the continuum of least restrictive environments: yes no
Please list:
______
Step 3: The LEA Special Education Administrator/Designee shall forward the following items, which comprise the referral packet, to the SBCSELPA Director for review:
Cover letter with referral request and brief history of the case to include developmental, health, and educational history, including history of previous educational and behavioral interventions and the results of these interventions. Information/input from the current classroom teacher should also be included in the letter
Current IEP, including any behavior intervention plans
Current psycho-educational evaluation (intellectual functioning, language, adaptive behavior, academic skills, social/emotional functioning, and psycho-motor development)
Current academic assessment reports (public/private) not included in psychologist’s report
Related service assessment reports (if applicable)
If student is a Tri-Counties Regional Center (TCRC) client, an assurance that TCRC has been notified of the potential placement and whether or not TCRC has determined if they will potentially co-fund an out-of-home NPS placement
Copy of any suspensions or expulsion records and behavior emergency reports
Current observation data
Any other relevant documents
Date Sent
Step 4: Within 5 days of receiving the referral packet (including all the items listed in Step 3), the SBCSELPA Mental Health Specialist will contact the referring LEA Special Education Administrator/designee and School Psychologist to discuss whether the case meets SBCSELPA’s criteria for funding of NPS placement. SBCSELPA will deliver a follow-up letter to the referring LEA/district indicating acceptance or denial of the request for consideration of SBCSELPA-funded NPS placement.
If SBCSELPA determines that the referral does meet criteria for consideration of SBCSELPA-funded NPS placement, proceed to Step 5.
Step 5: If the SBCSELPA accepts the referral for consideration of SBCSELPA-funded NPS placement, the referring LEA/district will develop an assessment plan to include the SBCSELPA Mental Health Specialist alongside the district school psychologist under the “Social/Emotional” area to evaluate the Need for Out of Home Placement.
Step 6: The SBCSELPA Mental Health Specialist and SBCSELPA Director are notified within 5 calendar days of receiving the signed assessment plan by e-mail or telephone, and a copy of the signed assessment plan is sent to the SBCSELPA Mental Health Specialist.
Within 50 days of the signed Assessment Plan, the School Psychologist in consultation with the SBCSELPA Mental Health Specialist completes the need for out-of-home placement (related to FAPE) and social emotional assessment report and forwards it to the referring LEA/district Special Education Administrator/designee and SBCELPA Director.
Within 60 days of the signed Assessment Plan, the LEA/district schedules an IEP meeting to review the assessment data and to discuss placement options, to include potential placement in a nonpublic school / residential treatment center. The SBCSELPA Mental Health Specialist and Director must participate in this IEP meeting if it has been determined that a potential placement would meet the criteria for SBCSELPA funding.
If the IEP team recommends a NPS placement (residential or non residential) and the parent consents to the SBCSELPA seeking a mutually-agreeable placement, SBCSELPA will begin the referral process and seek an appropriate placement for the student. Once a suitable placement is found, the parent and district will be notified to hold an IEP to offer a final NPS placement. The staff from the tentative NPS placement will be invited to participate in the IEP meeting. SBCSELPA will arrange and fund (in part as appropriate) a transport of the student to the new NPS placement (this may be the parent or a transport company).
The SBCSELPA will schedule a follow-up thirty (30) day IEP if deemed needed to review and update behavior plan, services and goals.
Note: Final recommendations for NPS placement are made by the IEP team, not SBCSELPA. SBCSELPA only makes a determination regarding whether or not the referral meets the criteria for payment of the NPS placement out of SELPA funding.
SELPA28D 10-18-16 (E) Page 1 of 2