Special Education. Special education is specially designed instruction provided by certified teachers utilizing special materials and equipment to help exceptional students learn. Special education is individually planned (Individual Education Plan - IEP) and designed to meet the unique needs of each exceptional student.

Exceptional Students. Exceptional students are those children and young adults between the ages of three and twenty-one whose exceptionally meets the criteria established by West Virginia Board of Education Policy 2419 and adversely affects their educational performance. The term includes both disabled and gifted students. Programs serving exceptional students in West Virginia include:

Autism
Blindness and Low Vision*
Deafblindness*
Deafness*
Developmental Delay
Emotional Disturbance
Exceptional Gifted
Gifted
Hard of Hearing*
Intellectual Disability
Orthopedic Impairment
Other Health Impairment
Specific Learning Disability
Speech or Language Disability
Traumatic Brain Injury

*Students who have any of these disabilities may be eligible for enrollment in school at the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind.

Related Services. Exceptional students may be eligible for related services to the extent that these services are necessary for them to benefit from their special education services. These services may include, but are not limited to, speech language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, assistive technology, psychological services and transportation.

All students with disabilities, who are eligible for these services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA), are entitled to a free, appropriate, public education (FAPE).

Hardy County Schools strives to educate students with disabilities, to the extent possible, with their age-appropriate, non-disabled peers (Least Restrictive Environment - LRE).

Students' and parents' rights are protected under law through a series of procedural safeguards.

Contact Information:

Beth Barr
Hardy County Student Support Services
510 Ashby Street
Moorefield, WV 26836

beth.barr@k12.wv.us
530-2348 ext. 9230

The Screening Process

As specified in W. Va. Code §18-5-17, developmental screening is the general education process conducted to determine whether there are problems or potential problems in the areas of vision, hearing, speech, and language. Screening must be conducted annually for:

1. all students entering kindergarten OR preschool who have not passed a relevant screening previously; and

2. all students entering West Virginia public and private schools for the first time.

Hardy County Schools conducts vision, hearing, speech and language screenings annually within the first 30 days of the school year. Parents and/or Guardians may opt out of these screenings. If you would like to request your child not participate in screenings, please contact your child's school or the director of student support services.

Hardy County Schools has available for public review Title I, Title II, Title III and Special Education plans. If you wish to review these plans please come into the Hardy County Board of Education Office between 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily. Please contact Shawn Cullers to obtain copies or review of these plans. If you should have questions, please contact Sheena Van Meter, Superintendent, Hardy County Schools, at 304-530-2348, ext. 9237.