It is the policy of the Hallsville School District to provide students with disabilities between the ages of three to 21 years a free and appropriate public education (FAPE).  The term "students with disabilities" includes all students defined as "handicapped" and "severely handicapped" in accordance with 162.675(2)(3) RSMo and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). 

Special education classes and services are offered for preschool & school-aged students with the following educational disabilities:

• Autism 
• Deaf/Blindness
• Emotional Disturbance 
• Hearing Impairment and Deafness
• Intellectual Disability
• Multiple Disabilities
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Other Health Impairment
• Specific Learning Disability
• Speech or Language Impairment 
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
• Visual Impairment/Blindness
• Young Child with a Developmental Delay

The Early Childhood Special Education Program is a federal program designed to serve children ages 3-5 with significant developmental delays in at least one of the following areas: health, motor (fine and/or gross), social/emotional/behavioral, communication (speech and/or language), cognitive, and adaptive. Children must qualify for the program based on a screening and evaluation process. If the criteria are met, the team will place the child into the special education program and write an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The special education services of the Hallsville Early Childhood Special Education Program include classroom teachers, speech and language therapists, occupational and physical therapists, and teacher assistants.  Consultant services for hearing-impaired and visually impaired students are also available.

Children who qualify for the program are provided with a hands-on, developmentally appropriate play-based preschool curriculum focusing on individual needs. Please complete the Hallsville Early Childhood Interest Form to apply for the full-day or early childhood special education program.

Homebound Instruction is for students unable to attend school due to various physical, behavioral, or emotional difficulties.  A Homebound Application must be approved by the Director of Special Services prior to this service being provided. To be considered, the homebound application must be completed & signed by an MD, DO, psychiatrist, or psychologist.

Homebound Instruction is not the preferred method of providing instructional services to students.  As a rule, it is more difficult for students to succeed academically when placed on Homebound Instruction than regular instruction in the classroom.  The Hallsville School District offers various courses in mathematics, language arts, practical and social sciences, upper-level courses, foreign languages, Basic Business, art, music, etc.  Students may find the homebound instructor is not as well versed in the subject areas as classroom instructors specializing in that area. Homebound Instruction is usually limited to core subject areas.  Students may need academic assistance provided by the regular classroom instructor in addition to Homebound Instruction, if possible.

Homebound Instruction will be provided if approved according to the current school year calendar.  Instruction will not be provided during Christmas vacation, spring break, school holidays, or summer.  The time allowed by the Missouri State Department of Education for their reimbursement is five hours weekly. Therefore, assignments left by the homebound teacher must be completed between visits. However, IEP Teams have some flexibility in determining weekly hours.

The time approved for Homebound Instruction varies depending primarily on the student's condition.  In the event Homebound Instruction needs to be extended beyond the original approved application time, written notification from the attending physician, psychiatrist, or other state-required professional must be submitted to the school district before the possible extension of homebound services.  It then must be approved again.

Homebound Application 

Directions for Application: 

1. Fill out the Homebound Services Packet by clicking each fillable field within the form and typing in your information. ( If you are not seeing fillable forms after opening the form in your browser, start on step 2)

2.  You will need to download the file by right-clicking the document and selecting "Save As." Once the file is saved, you can open it from where you saved it and go back to step 1.

3. After filling out the form, click the print button at the bottom of the last page.

4. Once the document is printed, you can take it to be signed by an MD, DO, psychiatrist, or psychologist. 

5. Mail the document to or provide a copy to your Building Principal or Counselor:

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was the first significant federal legislation to prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities.  It applies to programs and entities that receive federal financial assistance.

No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

There are three ways that a person may qualify as an individual with disabilities under the regulations. A person is considered disabled under Section 504 if s/he:

1. Has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities.  Examples include walking, learning, hearing, caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, speaking and breathing. The term does not cover children disadvantaged by cultural environmental or economic factors. And, the term does not include individuals currently engaging in the illegal use of drugs.

2. Has a record or history of such an impairment (e.g., a student with learning disabilities who has been decertified as eligible to receive special education under the IDEA; a student who had cancer; a student in recovery). The term includes children who have been misclassified (e.g., a non-English speaking student who was mistakenly classified as having an intellectual disability).

3. Is regarded as having such an impairment. A person can be found eligible under this section if s/he:

a.  has a physical or mental impairment that does not substantially limit a major life activity but is treated by the district as having such a limitation (e.g., a student who has scarring, a student who walks with a limp);

b.   has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity only as a result of the attitudes of others towards such impairment (e.g., a student who is obese); or

c.   has no physical or mental impairment but is treated by the district as having such an impairment (e.g., a student who tests positive with the HIV virus but has no physical effects from it).

Hallsville School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. Any persons having inquiries concerning the non-discrimination policies and compliance with the regulations implementing federal legislative requirements are directed to contact our Compliance Officer:  

Donna M. Simkins, Director of Special Services

dsimkins@hallsville.org

(573) 696-5512 ext. 2111 

(573) 696-1605 (fax)

411 E. Hwy 124 

Hallsville, MO  65255

Applicants for admission or employment, students, parents of elementary and secondary school students, employees, sources of referral and applicants for employment, and all professional organizations that have entered into agreements with the Hallsville School District are hereby notified that the District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its programs and activities. In addition, the District provides equal access to the Boy Scouts of America and other designated youth groups. 

Any person having inquiries concerning the District’s compliance with the laws and regulations implementing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), the Age Discrimination Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) or the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act, is directed to the Compliance Coordinator listed below, who oversees the District’s efforts to comply with the laws and regulations implementing the laws and regulations cited above. 

The District has established grievance procedures for persons unable to resolve problems arising under the statutes above. The District’s Compliance Coordinator will provide information regarding those procedures upon request. 

Any person who is unable to resolve a problem or grievance arising under any of the laws and regulations cited above may contact the Office for Civil Rights, Region VII, 8930 Ward Parkway, Suite 2037, Kansas City, Missouri 64114; telephone (816) 268-0550. 

The District’s Compliance Coordinator is: 

Donna Simkins, Director of Special Services, Hallsville School District
411 E. Hwy 124
Hallsville, MO 65255
(573) 696-5512

In an effort to inform and educate the public regarding parents' rights in the special education process, the Office of Special Education has developed a 30 minute webinar titled "Parents' Rights Under IDEA." 

In addition, "The Parent's Guide to Special Education in Missouri" has been updated to clarify the special education process. Topics included in the Parent's Guide are

• Effective and Informed Parents
• How Special Education Works in Missouri
• The Evaluation Process
• Individualize Education Program (IEP)
• Parent and Child Rights
• Resolving Disputes
• Resources

These two resources were developed to assist parents and professionals to become more informed and effective in the special education process to benefit students with disabilities in Missouri.  If you have questions or concerns about the webinar and/or the guidance document, please call the Compliance Section at 573-751-0699.

In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), the Hallsville School District will not discriminate on the basis of disability against qualified individuals with a disability with respect to its services, programs or activities.   

Employment: The District does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its hiring or employment practices. The District complies with the federal regulations under Title I of the ADA (which governs the application of the ADA in the hiring and employment setting).  
Effective Communication: The District will comply with the ADA with respect to providing auxiliary aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in its programs, services, and activities. These aids and services are designed to make information and communications accessible to people who have impairments, in areas such as speech, hearing, and vision. The District will not place a surcharge on a qualified individual with a disability, or any group of qualified individuals with disabilities, to cover the cost of providing auxiliary aids/services or reasonable modifications of policy (for example, retrieving items from locations that are open to the public but inaccessible to users of wheelchairs). 

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a service, program, or activity of the District should contact the Compliance Coordinator, whose contact information is listed in the District’s Notice of Nondiscrimination. Such contact should be made as soon as possible, but not later than 48 hours before the scheduled event (and, preferably, at least five (5) business days before the event). 

Modifications to Policies and Procedures: The District will make reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy its services, programs and activities. However, the ADA does not require the District to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.    

Complaints that a District service, program, or activity is not accessible to persons with a disability may be directed to the District’s Compliance Coordinator listed above. In addition, as stated in the District’s Notice of Nondiscrimination, a person who is unable to resolve a problem or grievance arising under Title II of the ADA may contact the Office for Civil Rights, Region VII, 8930 Ward Parkway, Suite 2037, Kansas City, MO 64114; phone (816) 268-0550.

All responsible public agencies are required to locate, evaluate, and identify children with disabilities who are under the jurisdiction of the agency, regardless of the severity of the disability, including children attending private schools, children who live outside the district but are attending a private school within the district, highly mobile children, such as migrant and homeless children, children who are wards of the state, and children who are suspected of having a disability and in need of special education even though they are advancing from grade to grade. The public school assures that it will provide a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) to all eligible children with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 under its jurisdiction. Disabilities include autism, deaf/blindness, emotional disturbance, hearing impairment and deafness, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairments, specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment/blindness and young child with a developmental delay.

The public school assures that it will provide information and referral services necessary to assist the State in the implementation of early intervention services for infants and toddlers eligible for the Missouri First Steps program.

The public school assures that personally identifiable information collected, used, or maintained by the agency for the purposes of identification, evaluation, placement or provision of FAPE of children with disabilities may be inspected and/or reviewed by their parents/guardians.
Parents/guardians may request amendment to the educational record if the parent/guardian believes the record is inaccurate, misleading, or violates the privacy or other rights of their child. Parents have the right to file complaints with the U.S. Department of Education or the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education concerning alleged failures by the district to meet the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

The public school has developed a Local Compliance Plan for the implementation of State Regulations for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This plan contains the agency’s policies and procedures regarding storage, disclosure to third parties, retention and destruction of personally identifiable information and the agency’s assurances that services are provided in compliance with the General Education Provision Act (GEPA). This plan may be reviewed at the public school district in which you live during business hours.

This notice will be provided in native languages as appropriate.

All responsible public agencies are required to locate, evaluate, and identify children with disabilities who are under the jurisdiction of the agency, regardless of the severity of the disability, including children attending private schools, children who live outside the district but are attending a private school within the district, highly mobile children, such as migrant and homeless children, children who are wards of the state, and children who are suspected of having a disability and in need of special education even though they are advancing from grade to grade.  The Hallsville School District assures that it will provide a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) to all eligible children with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 under its jurisdiction.  Disabilities include autism, deaf/blindness, emotional disorders, hearing impairment and deafness, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairments, specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment/blindness and young child with a developmental delay.

The Hallsville School District assures that it will provide information and referral services necessary to assist the State in the implementation of early intervention services for infants and toddlers eligible for the Missouri First Steps program.

The Hallsville School District assures that personally identifiable information collected, used, or maintained by the agency for the purposes of identification, evaluation, placement or provision of FAPE of children with disabilities may be inspected and/or reviewed by their parents/guardians.  Parents/guardians may request amendment to the educational record if the parent/guardian believes the record is inaccurate, misleading, or violates the privacy or other rights of their child.  Parents have the right to file complaints with the U.S. Department of Education or the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education concerning alleged failures by the district to meet the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

The Hallsville School District has developed a Local Compliance Plan for the implementation of State Regulations for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  This plan contains the agency’s policies and procedures regarding storage, disclosure to third parties, retention and destruction of personally identifiable information and the agency’s assurances that services are provided in compliance with the General Education Provision Act (GEPA).  This plan may be reviewed at the Hallsville School District, 411 East Highway 124, Hallsville, MO during business hours.

This notice will be provided in native languages as appropriate.