The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that assures children and youth with disabilities a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). The Lakewood City School District provides a continuum of special education programs and services for preschool and school-age students with disabilities.
CHILD FIND: “A Search for All Children with Disabilities”
Child Find is the process of identifying, locating and evaluating all children from age three to twenty-one who may have a disability and be in need of special education and related services, regardless of the severity of the disability. The district seeks to identify, through child find, all children in the Lakewood City School District who attend a public or non-public school in the district or who are homeless or wards of the state who may be in need of special education and related services.
A child with a disability is a child having a cognitive disability (e.g. mental retardation), hearing impairment (including deafness), visual impairment (including blindness), a speech or language impairment, a serious emotional disturbance, an orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairment, specific learning disability, deaf-blindness, or multiple disabilities.
Parents, relatives, public and private agency employees, and concerned citizens are asked to help the Lakewood City School District find any child who may have a disability and need special education and related services. If you are aware of a child who may have special needs, please notify Lakewood City Schools, Department of Student Services at 216-529-4201.