Director of Special Services
Mrs. M. Bonnie Lau
732-776-2606, ext. 2416
[email protected]
Mrs. Muriel (“Bonnie”) Lau is an educational leader committed to making high quality education accessible and equitable for all students. Bonnie’s commitment to special education is evidenced through her many leadership experiences both in- and outside of the classroom. After many years as a special educator in Plainfield, New Jersey, Ms. Lau was awarded a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching and the prestigious Ryan Fellowship. After serving on the leadership team of a high-performing urban school in New York City, she returned to New Jersey to serve in leadership positions at multiple approved private schools for students with disabilities.
Ms. Lau earned an MA in Educational Leadership from New York University's Steinhardt School, and a BA from the Boston College Lynch School of Education. She is excited to join the Asbury Park School District as Director of Special Services, and looking forward to supporting the needs of students, staff, parents, and families as a Blue Bishop!
The Special Services Department offers quality special education programs and other related support services to students with disabilities as mandated by N.J. C.A 6A:14. The department works in conjunction with general education programs and Intervention and Referral Services to provide early intervening services. Their efforts have led to a reduction in the number of students referred to programs designed to assist students whose academic performance is negatively impacted by academic, social or emotional behavior.
CHILD STUDY TEAM BUILDING ASSIGNMENTS FOR 2021-2022
Main Phone Number: 732.776.2606
Project Child Find:
Main Phone Number: 732.776.2606
Project Child Find is a free referral service and public awareness campaign to assist in the identification of unserved/underserved youths ages 3-21 years old who may be disabled due to physical, sensory, emotional, communication, cognitive or social difficulties. The Asbury Park Public School District provides services for preschool children between the ages of three and five. Preschoolers who demonstrate delays in the development of motor, communication, social emotional or cognitive skills may be eligible for special education and related services.
New Jersey's Early Intervention System provides services for infants and toddlers (from birth to the child's third birthday) that have developmental delays or disabilities as well as support for the families. For children 3-21 years of age, the school district provides free appropriate public education (FAPE) for eligible students.
After receiving your written request, the district's Child Study Team has twenty days to have a meeting with you the parent(s). At this meeting, you and the team will decide if an evaluation is needed and what the evaluation will include.
All written requests should be forwarded to Director of Special Services, Asbury Park Public School District, 910 4th Avenue, Asbury Park, New Jersey 07712
How to make a referral: Early Intervention System
https://www.state.nj.us/health/fhs/sch/
NJ Department of Education - Special Education
http://www.state.nj.us/njded/specialed
REFERRAL AND EVALUATION SERVICES
When a student has been identified as making minimal academic and/or emotional progress in the general education setting, he/she may be referred to the Intervention and Referral Services (I&RS) for the purpose of collecting and evaluating relevant data in order to determine or identify specific barriers to student performance. This committee will create interventions to address educational difficulties in the general education classroom. Interventions in the general education classroom should be attempted prior to Child Study Team (CST) or speech referral.
When interventions in the general education classroom are not appropriate for the student or when interventions are not effective, the student will be referred to the CST or speech/language specialist for evaluation.
A referral is the first step in the special education process. It is a formal written request that a student be evaluated by the CST to determine whether a student is eligible for special education and related services or by the speech/language specialist to determine whether a student is eligible for speech services.
Once a referral is received, the parents will be invited to an Identification Meeting that will be scheduled within 20 days of receipt of the referral (excluding school vacations other than summer vacation).
Based on a review of available information about the student's educational progress, a decision will be made at this meeting whether a CST or speech evaluation is warranted. If an evaluation is warranted, the nature and scope of the CST or speech evaluation will be discussed. If it appears that the problem can be alleviated with interventions in the general education program and the student has not participated in the I&RS process, there may be a decision not to conduct an evaluation, but to refer the student to the I&RS Committee for development of interventions, suggestions for other interventions for the parent to pursue, or refer the student to the 504 Committee. If the student is already in the I&RS process and an evaluation is not warranted, the I&RS plan can continue or be adjusted.
If there is an agreement to perform an evaluation, a written plan for the evaluation is developed at the meeting, describing the nature and scope of the evaluation. Written consent for an evaluation is required by the parent/guardian. This consent for evaluation can be provided at the conclusion of the meeting or the parent may wish to take additional time before providing written consent. Evaluations can only begin after the parent has provided written consent. The district has ninety (90) days from the time written consent is provided to complete the entire evaluation, eligibility, and placement process. Comprehensive, diagnostic evaluations are provided at no cost to the parent and are completed in the student's native language. They are completed by certified professionals who will explain the results of their testing.
Upon completion of the evaluations, the professional staff will provide the parent with a written report of the details of the testing results. Parents will be provided with copies of the district's evaluation reports 10 days prior to the eligibility meeting. These evaluations will help determine if the student has an educational disability, if there is an educational impact, and if the student needs a special education program to access and make meaningful progress with the curriculum. The discussion of the evaluations and the determination regarding special education eligibility will take place at the eligibility meeting.
Eligibility for special education and related services, or eligibility for speech-language services is determined at a mutually convenient meeting. Meeting attendees will be asked to sign an attendance sheet. The Child Study Team members or speech-language specialist will review evaluation results and answer questions. The case manager will discuss the rationale for determination of eligibility or non-eligibility.
If the student is determined to exhibit an educational disability, a determination must be made as to the least restrictive educational setting in which the student can receive educational benefit from special education services. In order for a student to be found eligible for speech-language services, they must exhibit a disorder or articulation, voice or fluency that adversely affects educational performance.
When eligibility for special education is agreed upon, the development of an Individual Education Plan (IEP) may commence immediately or within 15 days of the eligibility determination. The purpose of this meeting is to determine the student's current educational status and develop a program designed to meet the student's unique needs. Discussion of the student's present levels of educational performance, as well as results of performance on any state or district assessment will be held. Sources of information in determining a student's program should include evaluation data, teacher reports, classroom observations, student strengths and parental concerns.
Beginning at age 14, a transition plan for the student's future will begin to be developed. At age 16, the IEP will list a multi-year plan for promoting movement from school to the student's desired post-school outcomes.
Annual measurable goals may be developed that are related to the core curriculum standards through the general education curriculum, unless otherwise required according to the students educational needs. Progress reporting methods will be included in an IEP. The IEP will explain the extent, if any, to which the student will not participate with non-disabled peers in the general education class and in extracurricular and nonacademic settings.
Parental consent is required in order to implement the initial IEP. The program and services recommended therein will not begin prior to signed consent.
New Jersey Administrative Code:
https://www.state.nj.us/education/code/current/title6a/chap14.pdf
Parental Rights in Special Education:
https://www.nj.gov/education/specialed/form/prise/prise.pdf
Child Study Team Make-up:
The Child Study Team is a multi-disciplinary educational team that is responsible to locate, identify, evaluate, determine eligibility, and develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for students suspected of having educational disabilities. This group of specialists is employed by the district to provide consultative, evaluative, and prescriptive services to teachers and parents. The team provides diagnostic services to children from age 3 to 21 that have been identified as having a potentially disabling condition. Counseling and consultative services are available for any school-aged student experiencing difficulty in learning or behavior.
The Child Study Team (CST) together with district’s teachers, administrators, and I&RS committees make recommendations for programs and placements which will best address the needs of students who are experiencing school-related programs. The team consists of a school psychologist, learning disabilities teacher/consultant, and school social worker, and in some cases, a speech-language specialist.
School Social Worker
The social worker’s primary responsibility is as a member of the Child Study Team. As such, the social worker contributes to the CST evaluation process by conducting a “social history evaluation.” The social history evaluation is an assessment of bio psychosocial factors (social, emotional, physical, behavioral and cultural) that may impact a child’s adjustment to and performance in school. The school social worker also provides counseling, crisis intervention and consultation services, as well as helping families’ access community services.
Learning Disabilities Teacher/Consultant (LDT/C)
The Learning Disabilities Teacher-Consultant is a master teacher who functions in the school environment as an educational diagnostician, instructional programmer, Child Study Team member, educational consultant and instructional leader. The LDT/C must have the professional preparation to make assessments, analyses, and classifications of students’ learning differences; understand and implement special education law; plan and facilitate delivery of programs for children with learning differences; transfer specific and successful instructional techniques to classroom teachers through consultation, collaboration, and in-service education; and effectively communicate and consult with parents, counselors, teachers, and administrators. An educational assessment shall be the responsibility of a learning disabilities teacher/consultant employed by the district board of education. It shall include review of the student’s educational history, conferences with the student’s teacher(s), and an evaluation and analysis of the student’s academic performance and learning characteristics.
School Psychologist
The school psychologist consults with the student’s teachers and assesses the student’s current cognitive (thinking and learning), social, adaptive, and emotional status. The activities involved in the evaluation vary at times from student to student but, in general, most children are given an intelligence test to determine a child’s likelihood for success within the academic arena. For certain students the school psychologist provides counseling, crisis intervention or consultation services.
Case Manager
In addition to their respective roles, the social worker, school psychologist, and learning consultant also serve as case managers for students receiving special education services. Students are assigned a case manager at the time of the referral, however, periodically there are changes in assignments. The case manager coordinates the evaluation process and IEP development, as well as the monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of the IEP. The case manager facilitates communication between home and school, and coordinates the annual review and reevaluation process. The case manager is knowledgeable about the student’s educational needs and program, as well as special education procedures and procedural safeguards, and is responsible for transition planning. A speech/ language specialist may also serve as a case manager.
SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM OPTIONS WITH ASBURY PARK
PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS:
Asbury Park School District offers a full continuum of services for students aged three to five years old who are found eligible for special education and related services through the evaluation process.
The District offers a full day program at both Thurgood Marshall Elementary School as well as Bradley Elementary School.
The Preschool program offers two options to our special need’s population. An integrated program (inclusionary) follows a federal education preschool curriculum. The special needs students are in a regular education setting and receives an in-class support program through a special education teacher. Related services are provided in accordance with their IEPS. In addition, a Self-Contained Preschool Disabilities Program is available to those students who require more structure and assistance.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAMS
The District provides special education programs at all of its elementary schools in the form of an in-class resource and pull out resources replacement to those students determined eligible. Special Classes - Learning, Language Disabled and/or Multiply Disabled are currently held in either the Bradley Elementary School or MLK Upper Elementary School.
Related services in the form of speech-language, occupational and physical therapies are also provided at each elementary school.
SECONDARY SCHOOL PROGRAM GRADES 7-12:
Asbury Park High School offers a variety of special education program options in accordance with student IEPs. There is a full time Child Study Team on staff, as well as a dedicated speech-language therapist, occupational therapist and a full guidance department.
In addition to in class support, there is a Learning Language Disabled and Cognitively Impaired Self-contained option available to students that need more intensive instruction.
ADDITIONAL LINKS FOR PARENTS: