Child Find Special Education Program Started By Cherokee Schools

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA — The Cherokee County School District participates in the statewide Child Find program to help identify students eligible for special education services.

The purpose of Child Find is to identify, locate, and evaluate children and youth, who are suspected of having or have a diagnosed disability or developmental delay, in order to provide free appropriate special education services. The Cherokee County School District serves children from 3-21 years of age.

A child should be referred when:

• A health or medical disorder interferes with development and or learning
• A child seems to have difficulty seeing or hearing
• A child appears to have social, emotional or behavioral difficulties that affect his/her ability to learn
• A child has a diagnosed progressive or degenerative condition that will eventually impair or impede the child’s ability to learn
• A child seems to have difficulty understanding directions like others that are his/her age
• A child’s speech is not understandable to family or friends
• A child has difficulty with reading, math, or other school subjects

Special education is instruction designed to meet the unique learning strengths and needs of individual students with disabilities from ages 3-21. A child must be evaluated and identified as having a disability to be eligible for special education and/or related services. Disability categories are: speech/language impairment, specific learning disability, traumatic brain injury, intellectual disabilities, significant developmental delay, emotional-behavioral disorder, visual impairment, deaf/hard of hearing, deaf/blind, orthopedic impairment, autism spectrum disorders, and other health impairments.

The referral process must be initiated by the parent. Call the Cherokee County School District at 770-704-4315 for additional information.