Parent Involvement
Parents are important partners in the special education process and it is our desire to learn from you to improve our programs for each student. We want to assist you in learning about our programs. Please see the information and resource links below.
Suspicion of a Disability
If you suspect your pre-school age child has a disability, please contact JoEllen Crawford, Early Childhood Education Coordinator, or call Lee M. Waid Elementary School at 540-5736.
If you suspect that your child has a disability, and your child is currently enrolled in Franklin County Public Schools and is not currently receiving services as a student with a disability, please contact your child’s school and ask to speak with the School Based Review Team Chairperson or the School’s Principal.
If you placed your child at a private school located in Franklin County, please contact the Franklin County Department of Pupil Personnel Service at 540-483-0280 and ask for someone to assist you.
If you placed your child at a private school located in a locality outside of Franklin County, please contact that locality for assistance.
Online Reference Tools
Parent Resource Center
Coordinator: Sherry Lynch
The Parent Resource Center is located at with the Pupil Personnel Services Complex at 25 School Service Road, EXT., Rocky Mount, VA 24151. Call for an appointment at 540-483-0280.
The Parent Education Advocacy Training Center
This website provides information about special education for children with special needs in Virginia. A link to the Parent Educational Advocacy Traning Center (PEATC) is as follows:
http://www.peatc.org/
Virginia Family Special Education Connection
The Virginia Family Special Education Connection is a website dedicated to providing comprehensive information on special education issues, practices and services to Virginia families who have children with disabilities. This resource was developed by the Virginia Department of Education, in collaboration with the Helen A. Kellar Institute for Human disabilities at George Mason University.
https://vafamilysped.org
A Parent’s Guide to Special Education
This parent’s guide was developed by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) in order to help you understand your rights and responsibilities, your child’s rights, and the school’s responsibilities to meet the special needs of your child. This guide includes a description of the special education process and what is required of you and the school during each step of that process. Important timelines are highlighted in each section.
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/special_ed/parents/parents_guide.pdf