Special Education

Marathon will provide a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) consistent with the need to protect the health and safety of students with disabilities and those providing special education services.

Marathon will make every effort to educate students with disabilities with their non-disabled peers while maintaining the health and safety requirements set forth by the Department of Health.

• All students with an IEP will attend school Monday-Friday and receive special education services in person.

Marathon will document the programs, services and communication with parents of students with a disability in a manner that is easily understood and readily available.

• Marathon will seek regular input regarding the programs and services offered to students with disabilities.

Marathon will encourage meaningful parental engagement regarding the provision of services to their child through participation in program reviews as well as annual committee on special education meetings.

• During periods of time when school is closed or in hybrid mode, program reviews and annual reviews will be conducted virtually by phone conference or Zoom meetings.
• When school is full in-person with or without heightened health and safety protocols, parents will be given the choice to do meetings in person, by phone or by Zoom.

Marathon will continue to work in partnership with the CPSE/CSE and program providers representing a variety of settings where students are served in an effort to ensure that committee recommendations for programs and services are being delivered as indicated on the IEP.

• Communication with parents regarding their child’s progress toward annual goals will continue to occur at regular 10-week intervals throughout the school year.

Marathon will ensure access to the necessary instructional and technological supports to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities.

• Staff will collaborate with each child’s case manager to develop a plan for delivering the accommodations, modifications, supplementary aids and services and technology listed on the IEP.  Teachers, Aides, counselors, social workers, and Teacher Assistants will work together to meet the needs of students with disabilities during distance learning.

Teachers and service providers will collect data to monitor each student’s progress toward the annual goals and to evaluate the effectiveness of the student’s special education services.