Student Services and Exceptional Children

The Mooresville Graded School District realizes that our success is a direct product of reaching every child, every day by providing support and interventions to all students.

Student Support Services are available to all children within the district through our counselors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, behavior support team and our special programs staff.
Students with disabilities who are found eligible for specially designed instruction and related services through the eligibility process, will have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) developed based on each child's unique needs, as related to present levels of academic achievement and functional performance.
Students with disabilities, who do not need specialized instruction, may be found eligible for accommodations through a 504 plan.

Student Services

Section 504 Services

Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)

NC MTSS is a multi-tiered framework which promotes school improvement through engaging, research-based academic and behavioral practices. NC MTSS employs a systems approach using data-driven problem solving to maximize growth for ALL! The vision of NCDPI is that every NC pre-K - 12 education system implements and sustains a multi-tiered system of support

MGSD MTSS

https://sites.google.com/mgsd.k12.nc.us/mgsdmtss/home?authuser=0

NC DPI MTSS Webpage

http://www.ncpublicschools.org/integratedsystems/mtss/

School Based Mental Health Support

School-Based Therapy is a continuum of services available to students in the Mooresville Graded School District through several programs throughout the district.
The services are a collaborative effort between MGSD and private mental health agencies working to increase the availability of evidence-based mental health services for the purpose of improving student’s emotional well-being and enhancing their ability to access and benefit from instruction.
These programs are supplemental interventions and supports available to students who require additional accommodations identified through a problem solving team approach.
Services are offered when the student demonstrates or displays significant need that affect their ability to be successful in the learning environment through our Multi-tiered System of Support and is only available with Parent Permission.
Details are available through the counseling office at each school site.

MGSD Health Services

Exceptional Children

Our Exceptional Children's Department strives to accomplish the goal of supporting every child, every day by providing specialized instruction and related services to all eligible students; furthermore, we recognize that students and families may need additional services to succeed in their educational endeavors.

MGSD's Exceptional Children's Department (EC) offers a free and appropriate public education in compliance with the federally mandated Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) through a continuum of services and programs to meet the individual needs of students requiring special education, ages 3-21.
Special education services are provided at all of our schools, with the exception of very specialized low-incidence programs, so that students can attend a school within the geographical zone of residence, when possible.

NCDPI Exceptional Children's Department

Exceptional Children's Assistance Center (ECAC)

Policies Governing Services for Children w/ Disabilities

Parent Rights & Responsibilities in Special Education (2016)

Public Notices

Child Find Process

Mooresville Graded Schools conducts a screening process which may lead to a more comprehensive assessment for children ages 3 through 5 years old. This is provided through the system's preschool program located at Rocky River Elementary School.Parents can obtain additional information about this process by contacting Anselita Newkirk, Preschool Coordinator.

A general education intervention process for children in kindergarten through grade 12 is provided at each school site through student assistance teams or Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). These teams work on behalf of children who are experiencing academic, behavior/emotional, functional, or medical concerns that may be significantly impacting their access to the general curriculum or school activities. These teams work with families and school staff to develop plans that support students' needs so that they can be successful in the general education curriculum and school setting. While working with students, the teams collect data, which is then used to determine if a student may need to be referred for a comprehensive evaluation. Parents must be provided with notice of their child's referral to the intervention assistance teams.

How can I access special education services?

· If a parent suspects delays in the development of their child, ages 3-21, in the areas of speech/language, motor skills, social-emotional skills, academic and/or self help skills, they may contact the student’s home school or the Exceptional Children’s Department to request an evaluation for eligibility for EC services.

· For children who are of preschool age, please contact our preschool coordinator, Anselita Newkirk at 704-658-2628

· For children who are enrolled in a parentally placed private/homeschool please contact the EC department at 704-658-2602

What happens after I make contact with the school?

· In the event the district is notified that a child is a student with a suspected disability, the district is obligated to respond within 30 days.

· An IEP team needs to convene to review the request and make a determination with regard to whether an evaluation is warranted based on a review of existing data.

· If the team determines an evaluation is needed, written permission for testing is obtained. The team obtains any already completed test reports and conducts a comprehensive assessment that follows federal and state guidelines.

· The IEP team schedules a final conference with the student’s parents to discuss the evaluation results and decides whether or not special education and support services are needed.

Parent Resources

Medicaid & Public Schools

Project Child Find

MGSD COVID-19 Update (April 3, 2020)

April 3, 2020

Hello MGSD families,

We hope all of our families are staying safe and healthy as we finish our second week of remote learning! Everyday we receive a reminder of why we do what we do. Whether it be a video snippet of a student or email from a staff member relaying something joyful they experienced during remote learning that day, it brings smiles during difficult times! Thank you for hanging in there with us!

This week we simply want to share a few reminders and information about the establishment of our MGSD Wellness Support Access Line:

Meal Service: We will continue with the revised meal delivery schedule that we released last week. If you would like to see that schedule, please see the links below. Don’t forget that there will be no meals served on Friday (4/10) and Monday (4/13). We cannot thank our School Nutrition staff and Bus Drivers enough for all they are doing to make sure this program is available to our students! As of this morning, since March 17, we have distributed 14795 breakfasts and 15205 lunches to students throughout Mooresville Graded Graded School District! As a reminder, these are available to ALL children ages 0 to 18.

English: School Nutrition Meal Schedule

Spanish: Plan de Aprendizaje Virtual del Horario de Comidas de Nutrición Escolar

Please remember that following the guidelines for social distancing (6 ft) while in line at the busses to pick up your meals IS A MUST.

MGSD Wellness Support: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic with large scale quarantine measures in place, our parents, students and educators are now confined to their homes, removed from their normal social support systems, and dealing with increased psychological stressors. During this unprecedented time, Mooresville Graded School District is partnering with Integrative Wellness Solutions (IWS) to offer an access line or 'hotline' for our families, free of charge. The 'hotline' is an open line for any member of the MGSD community to speak to a licensed counselor to ask questions, share concerns, access evidenced based therapy, or get help with coordination of services, all without having to agree to any continued services or therapy.

This hotline will be available 24/7 but will be monitored "live" from 5pm-10pm M-F and 11am-4pm Sat & Sun. Calls received outside of this time will go to a voicemail and be returned as soon as possible. Please call Integrative Wellness Solutions at 704-360-3637 and press extension 6 to reach the hotline. All families are also encouraged to reach out to their school counselor during regular hours.

** Please note that if there is a situation where a student/family member may be at risk of harm to self/others, Partners Behavioral Health Management manages a crisis line at 1-888-235-4673 that is monitored 24 hours a day. **

3rd Quarter report cards: 3rd Quarter report cards for grades 3-12 will be mailed out on April 7, 2020. K-2 Report cards will be sent electronically. Please remember to look through all documents in the envelope. We are trying to take care of logistics for next school year so depending on your child’s grade level, there may be additional items that need your attention in that mailing.

Feel free to bookmark our MGSD VLP website at this link MGSD COVID-19 VLP for updated information!

Thank you, thank you thank you! Your support makes our job easier during times like these!

In This Section

Contact

Sandra Albert, Ed.D.
Executive Director

Lori Woods
Administrative Assistant

Our Team

Student Services and Exceptional Children