Students with disabilities are protected by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Students with disabilities are entitled to a “free appropriate, public education,” which is defined by the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) or similar document. The rights of students with disabilities and the responsibilities of Clayton and the Special School District (SSD) of St. Louis County are described in the SSD’s Compliance Plan, the County-wide General Assurance Document, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Procedural Safeguards for Children and Parents brochure, and Procedures Safeguards for Children and Parents brochure also are available from the schools. Additionally, parents have the right to inspect, review, and request amendment of personally identifiable information maintained on their children under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

All individuals from 3 to 21 years of age residing in St. Louis County, as well as St. Louis City residents attending Clayton schools, are eligible for special education services offered by the SSD if they are diagnosed with educational disabilities. The SSD provides special education services to students diagnosed with one of the following educational disabilities: learning disabilities, speech/language disorders, mental retardation, behavioral disorders/emotionally disturbed, physically/other health impaired, hearing impaired, visually impaired, deaf/blind, children with multiple disabilities, autism, traumatic brain injury, or early childhood special education.

The SSD offers a variety of programs and related services for preschool and school age children, most of whom are served in Clayton facilities. The SSD also provides audiological and special education evaluations, hearing and speech/language screening services, Special Non-Public After School Program (SNAP), for students in private/parochial schools, and Home Teaching for home or hospital-bound students (both with and without disabilities). Additionally, the SSD operates a variety of applied technology, vocational, adult education, and “transitional” services for students with or without disabilities.

Staff, parents or anyone else who has significant educational concerns about a student or believes an individual may have a disability can initiate the special education and/or Section 504 “identification” process. When there are educational concerns about a student, the school is to begin considering and implementing alternative intervention strategies to address those concerns. If the educational concerns about a student are not resolved through the use of general education resources and interventions or the parent requests a special education referral/evaluation, the school is to assemble a “data gathering” packet (documenting concerns, interventions, and additional information about the student). The school’s Building Level Team, which includes a representative of the SSD, determines if a special education evaluation is warranted or not. Parents are to be notified in writing of the decision, the reasons for it, and their rights. Appeals of any disability related decisions should be submitted in writing to the Clayton Superintendent of Schools.

Initial questions or requests for assistance/information should be directed to your child’s teacher, or school counselor.


Speech and Language
The Special School District speech and language pathologist implements programs with students who have diagnosed speech and/or language impairments. A speech and/or language impairment may be a disorder of voice, difficulty in making sounds, flow of speech, difficulty in understanding and/or expressing language, or a combination of these problems. Remediation is adapted to the student’s needs and is provided in small groups or individually. Conferences are held with teachers and parents throughout the year to review goals and objectives of each student. Children are screened when referred by their teacher or the parent.

Hearing Impaired Resource Classroom
Captain School houses a Phase II SSD Hearing Impaired Classroom. Phase II Classrooms are SSD Classrooms in regular schools. This classroom serves children from a regional area in St. Louis County. The children are mainstreamed into our regular classrooms when appropriate.