High School Student Services

School Counseling services are for all students. The focus of the school counseling program is to provide experiences to ensure that every student progresses toward fulfillment of their educational, personal and career goals. We believe that parents are an essential component in the educational planning for their student. The high school counseling department follows the School Counseling Framework of Dublin City Schools, a coordinated plan based on stated goals and delineated student competencies. 

All school counselors are available to assist and support students with decision-making and problem solving. If there is a concern a student wishes to discuss with a school counselor, he or she may ask for an appointment with a school counselor. Students are welcome to make arrangements for appointments before school, during study periods, after school or at any mutually agreeable time.

Child Find is the process of locating, evaluating, and identifying children with disabilities who may be in need of special education and related services and/or may be entitled to protection from discrimination based on his/her disability.  Parents, relatives, public and private agency employees, childcare providers, physicians, and concerned citizens are encouraged to help the school district find any child, age birth – 21, who may have a disability and is in need of special education and related services.  If you suspect a child may have a disability, help is available.  Contact the Dublin City Schools Department of Academics and Student Learning at 5175 Emerald Parkway in Dublin, phone 614-764-5913, or visit www.dublinschools.net.

In Dublin City Schools, our number one priority and responsibility is preparing all students for success through a personalized educational experience, which is supported through our  Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework.  

MTSS is a comprehensive and prevention-based organizational framework that addresses the needs of the whole child by aligning academic, behavioral and student well-being supports into a fully integrated system.  

The foundation of our MTSS framework includes 5 core components:

1. Extensive Assessment System

2. Data Based Decision Making

3. Team Driven Leadership

4. Tiered System of Support

5. Family, School and Community Partnerships

The two main tiered systems of support that are embedded within MTSS are Response to Intervention – RtI (academic domain) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports – PBIS (behavior, student well-being domain).  Within these systems of support, each and every student receives what they need, as soon as they need it, for as long as they need it. 

Classroom teachers are the first responders for providing instruction, intervention and enrichment to all students through core instruction.  District and School teams utilize assessments and data on a regular basis to assess the healthiness of the universal tier, identify students who may need additional learning opportunities, as well as monitor the effectiveness of interventions.  When a student exhibits a need for the intensification of support, then a student-level team utilizes a problem-solving method to create an instructional plan aligned with the student’s needs, strengths and area(s) of concern.  The team closely monitors the student’s response to ensure the intervention is working.

Family and community partnerships within the MTSS framework strengthen student learning, wellness and experiences in order to ensure each and every student is prepared for success during their school journey and after graduation.

The Dublin City School District provides a variety of special education programs and related services to students identified with disabilities through an evaluation process as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA).  Free assessment is available to families to determine whether or not a disability exists.  If a disability listed in the IDEIA is identified, the child can begin receiving the appropriate special education and related services through an Individualized Education Program.  Parents are encouraged to be an active participant in the process.

A preschool child, age 3 through 5, with a disability is a child who has one of the following disabilities, as defined in rule 3301-51-01 of the Administrative Code:  autism, intellectual disability, deaf-blindness, deafness, emotional disturbance, hearing impairment, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment, or developmental delay.

A school age child, age 5 through 21, with a disability is a child identified with one or more of the following conditions:  autism, intellectual disability, deaf-blindness, emotional disturbance, hearing impairment, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, or visual impairment.

Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) provide that no individual will be discriminated against on the basis of a disability.  An individual with a disability means a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; or has a record of  such an impairment; or has been regarded as having such an impairment. This protection applies not just to the student, but all individuals who have access to the district’s programs and facilities.  In addition to the District Section 504/ADA Compliance Officer, the Board has also assigned building principals to serve as Building Section 504/ADA Compliance Officers.  They are responsible for arranging annual reviews and three-year eligibility meetings, and for investigating at the first step any student or parent complaints of an alleged violation, misapplication or misinterpretation of Section 504/ADA.

To inquire about the procedures or programs you may contact your building principal or the Department of Academics and Student Learning office at 614-764-5913.

If a person believes that s/he has been discriminated against on the basis of his/her disability, the person may utilize the following complaint procedures as a means of reaching, at the lowest possible administrative level, a prompt and equitable resolution of the matter.

In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and its implementing regulations ("Section 504"), parents and students will be notified of their right to file an internal complaint regarding an alleged violation, misinterpretation, or misapplication of Section 504. In addition, students and their parents will be notified of their right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Finally, students and parents will be advised of their right to request a due process hearing before an Impartial Hearing Officer (IHO) regarding the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of persons with disabilities, and their right to examine relevant records.

The person designated as the District Section 504 Compliance Officer/ADA Coordinator (District Compliance Officer) is listed below with their contact information.

Chris Ondrus, Executive Director of Student Services

Dublin City Schools

5175 Emerald Parkway

Dublin, Ohio 43017

Phone: 614-764-5913

Fax: 614-761-5856

Email: ondrus_chris@dublinschools.net

Building principals shall serve as Building Section 504/ADA Compliance Officers ("Building Compliance Officers").

Internal complaints and requests for due process hearings must be put in writing and must identify the specific circumstances or areas of dispute that have given rise to the complain or the request for a hearing, and offer possible solutions to the dispute. The complaint or request for due process hearing must be filed with a District Compliance Officer within the time limits specified below. The District’s Compliance Officer is available to assist individuals in filing a complaint or request.

Procedural Information and Rights – Students and Parents (AG 2260.01b)

[Please check the website, www.dublinschools.net, for any possible revisions to this administrative guideline made during the school year.]

In accordance with various Federal laws (including Section 504, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended ("ADA"), FERPA, and Title VII), the following procedural safeguards will be provided with respect to decisions or actions regarding the identification, evaluation, educational program or placement, or content of a Section 504 Plan of a student who is or may be disabled under Section 504, but not also disabled under the IDEIA:

1. students with disabilities have the right to take part in, and receive benefits from, public education programs without discrimination because of their disabilities;

2. parents have the right to be advised of their rights under Section 504;

3. parents have the right to receive written notice of any decision regarding the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of their child;

4. parents have the right to have their child receive a free appropriate public education ("FAPE") if the child has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities;

This includes the right to be educated with students who are not disabled to the maximum extent appropriate (i.e., the student’s education will be provided in the regular education classroom unless it is demonstrated that education in the regular environment with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily) and to receive regular or special education and related aids/services that are designed to meet the individual educational needs of students with disabilities as adequately as the needs of nondisabled students are met.

5. parents have the right to have their child educated in facilities with, and receive services comparable to those provided to, students without disabilities;

6. parents have the right to have evaluation and educational placement decisions made based upon a variety of informational sources, and by persons who know the student, and are knowledgeable about the evaluation data and placement options;

7. parents have the right to have their child transported in a non-discriminatory manner;

If the District refers a student for aids, benefits, or services outside the District, the District will ensure that adequat transportation is provided at no greater cost to the parents than if the aids, benefits, or services were provided within the District.

8. parents have the right to place their child in a private school or alternative educational program;

However, if the District makes a FAPE available to the student that conforms to the requirements of Section 504 and nevertheless the parents choose to place the student elsewhere, the District is not required to pay for the student's education at the private school or alternative program, including costs associated with transportation.

9. parents have the right to have their child given an equal opportunity to participate in nonacademic and extracurricular activities offered by the District;

10. parents have the right to examine all relevant education records, including, but not limited to, those documents related to decisions regarding their child’s identification, evaluation, educational program and placement;

11. parents have the right to obtain, at their own expense, an independent educational evaluation of their child;

12. parents have the right to obtain copies of education records at a reasonable cost unless the fee would effectively deny the parents access to the records;

13. parents have the right to a response from the District to reasonable requests for explanations and interpretations of their child’s education records;

14. parents have the right to receive all information in the parents' native language and mode of communication;

15. parents have the right to periodic re-evaluations and an evaluation before any significant change in placement;

16. parents have the right to request amendments of their child’s education record(s) if there is reasonable cause to believe that information contained in the record(s) is inaccurate, misleading or otherwise in violation of the privacy rights of their child;
    
    If the District refuses to amend the record(s), the parents have the right to request a hearing and/or to attach to the record(s) a statement of why they disagree with the information it contains.

17. parents have the right to request mediation or an impartial due process hearing related to decisions or actions concerning their child’s identification, evaluation, educational program or placement;

18. parents have the right to file an internal complaint;

19. parents have the right to be represented at any point in the process by an attorney;

20. parents have the right to recover reasonable attorney fees as authorized by law (i.e., if the parents are successful on their due process claim);

21. parents have the right to be notified of their Section 504 rights, including, but not limited to:

    1. when the District does not suspect a disability and declines to conduct an evaluation;

    2. when evaluations and re-evaluations are conducted;

    3. when consent for an evaluation is provided or withheld;

    4. when eligibility is determined, including when the team finds the student ineligible;

    5. when a Section 504 Plan is developed, including when the District decides to implement a Plan without parental consent;

    6. when the written results of an IAT meeting are provided;

    7. before there is significant change in the Section 504 Plan, including concerning student's placement; and

    8. when an internal complaint or a request for a due process hearing is filed.

Due Process Hearing

1. When a request for a due process hearing is received, the aggrieved party will have the opportunity to receive a hearing conducted by an impartial hearing officer ("IHO") (i.e., by a person not employed by the Board of Education, not involved in the education or care of the child, and not having a personal or professional interest that would conflict with his/her objectivity in the hearing).

2. The District will maintain a list of trained IHO's that may include IDEIA hearing officers, attorneys, and Directors of Special Education outside the District. The District Compliance Officer will appoint an IHO from that list, and the costs of the hearing shall be borne by the District. The appointment of an IHO will be made within fifteen (15) school days after the request for a due process hearing is received.

3. A party to such a due process hearing shall have.

   1. the right, at his/her/their own cost, to be accompanied and advised by legal counsel and by individuals with special knowledge or training with respect to the problems of children with disabilities;

   2. the right to present evidence, and confront, cross-examine and compel the attendance of witnesses;

   3. the right to a written or electronic verbatim record of such hearing; and

   4. the right to written findings of fact and the reasons for the decision.

4. The IHO shall conduct the due process hearing within a reasonable period of time (i.e., not to exceed ninety (90) calendar days from the request for such a hearing, unless this time-frame is mutually waived by the parties or is determined by the IHO to be impossible to comply with due to extenuating circumstances).

5. The IHO will give the parent and/or student written notice of the date, time and place of the hearing. Notice will be given no less than twenty-one (21) calendar days prior to the date of the hearing, unless otherwise agreed to by the parent and/or student. The notice shall include:

   1. a statement of time, place and nature of the hearing;

   2. a statement of the legal authority and jurisdiction under which the hearing is being held;

   3. a reference to the particular section of the statutes and rules involved;

   4. a statement of the availability of relevant records for examination;

   5. a short and plain statement of the matters asserted; and

   6. a statement of the right to be represented by counsel.

6. The IHO shall conduct the hearing in a manner that will afford all parties a full and fair opportunity to present evidence and to otherwise be heard. The parent and/or student may be represented by another person of his/her choice, including an attorney.

7. The IHO shall make a full and complete record of the proceedings.

8. The IHO shall render a decision in writing to the parties within thirty (30) calendar days following the conclusion of the hearing. The decision will be based solely on the testimony and demonstrative evidence presented at the hearing and include a summary of the evidence (i.e., findings of fact) and the reason for the decision.
   The notification shall include a statement that either party may appeal the decision.

9. Appeal of the IHO’s decision may be made to a Federal court of competent jurisdiction. 

Retaliation

Retaliation against a person who makes a report or files a complaint alleging unlawful discrimination/retaliation, or participates as a witness in an investigation is prohibited. Specifically, the Board will not retaliate against, coerce, intimidate, threaten or interfere with any individual because the person opposed any act or practice made unlawful by Section 504 or the ADA, or because that individual made a charge, testified, assisted or participated in any manner in an investigation, proceeding, or hearing under those laws, or because that individual exercised, enjoyed, aided or encouraged any other person in the exercise or enjoyment of any right granted or protected by those laws.

(End of AG 2260.01b)

For further information on the district’s gifted services, identification practices, and enrichment, please visit Dublin City Schools gifted website, /Page/1163.