ALTON - Parents and principals are invited to a public meeting about special education services available to local students.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, Alton Community Unit School District #11 will host the meeting to inform community members about services available to students who are homeschooled or attend private schools in the area. Cathy Elliott, Director of Special Education, explained that the district receives federal grant money that allows them to provide these services to students who don’t attend the Alton School District.
“We hold a meeting and we talk about the services that are going to be offered to the students in the community,” Elliott said. “I update them every year with, here’s our special education services.”
The Alton School District receives funding through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and some of this money must go to nonpublic entities like private or home schools.
Through this funding, ACUSD11 offers Child Find services. This means that if a parent suspects their child has a disability, they can reach out to the Alton School District to set up a meeting, and ACUSD11 will evaluate the child. The aim of Child Find is to identify children with disabilities as early as possible and connect them with services.
If the student is eligible for special education and they enroll in the district, ACUSD11 will provide them with Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) services. ACUSD11 also provides eligible students in nonpublic schools with speech therapy services.
Elliott noted that parents are encouraged to attend this meeting, but it’s also a setting for private school administrators to learn more about ACUSD11’s services. She said that these principals help parents and students contact the school district to learn more about the available resources.
“Any federal services or federal monies that the public school district [receives], part of that has to be offered to nonpublic entities such as schools and homeschools,” Elliott explained. “All of those schools in our community that offer private education, those principals come and get all the same information, and then we’re always available all the time for resources.”
Local doctor’s offices are also aware of ACUSD11’s special education services, and they often help connect parents and children. Elliott emphasized that the special meeting on March 19 is a great opportunity to learn more about what’s available in the community.
“At the end of the day, it’s a service,” she said. “It’s offered to students and parents within the community.”
For more information about the special education public meeting at 10 a.m. on March 19, 2025, click here or call Elliott at (618) 463-2137.
More like this:
