Special Services

Special Educational Services 

Wauconda CUSD 118 provides a full continuum of services and placements for students ages three through twenty-one who are eligible to receive special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Children with disabilities who turn 22 years old during the school year are eligible for such services through the end of the current school year. District 118 coordinates and maintains specific procedures for referral, evaluations, programming, and placement. Special education and related services for IDEA-eligible students are provided as outlined within a student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

Parents will be invited to participate in an annual review of their child’s Individual Educational Program (IEP) with full access to the child’s records and confidentiality as to their contents. If the parents’ or child’s primary language is not English, the child is evaluated by qualified personnel in his/her primary language and an interpreter and translated documents may be provided if requested.

Students found eligible for special education and related services under the IDEA may be served within a variety of educational settings.  The continuum of services and placements includes, but is not limited to, support in the general education environment, special education resource and instructional courses or other public or private special education schools approved by the Illinois State Board of Education to serve students with disabilities, as well as related services that students may require to benefit from their special education. Public funds will pay for the child’s tuition to a public or private special education school only if it is determined as being appropriate, in the least restrictive environment, and is on the state of Illinois approved list. If the parents disagree with the Individual Educational Program proposed for their child or are dissatisfied with his/her present placement, or have been denied any of their rights, they have the right to an impartial due process hearing. The Illinois State Board of Education appoints an impartial hearing officer to hear both sides and renders a recommendation to the local education agency.

For those students who are not eligible for services under IDEA, but, because of disability as defined by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, need or are believed to need special instruction or related services, the District shall establish and implement a system of procedural safeguards. The safeguards shall cover students' identification, evaluation, and educational placement. This system shall include notice, an opportunity for the student's parent(s)/guardian(s) to examine relevant records, an impartial hearing with opportunities for participation by the student's parent(s)/guardian(s), representation by counsel, and a review procedure.