Child Find, in coordination with the Lake Preston School District, locates children who are potentially eligible for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and links them with needed services.

Child Find services help to promote general public awareness of programs and services available for young children who have or are at risk of developing disabilities. Service coordination for diagnostic screening, placement, training, and support is also provided.

24:05:32:01.01.  Child find. Each district shall establish a child find process to locate, identify, and evaluate all private school children with disabilities, including religious elementary and secondary school children and children receiving alternative instruction under SDCL 13-27-3 in schools located in the school district served by the district. The activities undertaken to carry out the responsibility for private school children with disabilities must be similar to activities undertaken for children with disabilities in public schools.

          The child find process shall be designed to ensure:

          (1)  The equitable participation of parentally-placed private school children; and
         
          (2)  An accurate count of those children.

          The child find process shall be completed in a time period comparable to that for students attending public schools in the district consistent with this article.

Each school district in which private, including religious, elementary schools and secondary schools are located shall, in carrying out the child find requirements in this section, include parentally-placed private school children who reside in a state other than the state in which the private schools that they attend are located.

Each school district shall maintain in its records, and provide to the department, the following information related to parentally-placed private school children covered under this chapter: the number of children evaluated; the number of children determined to be children with disabilities; and the number of children served.
         
Source: 26 SDR 150, effective May 22, 2000; 33 SDR 236, effective July 5, 2007.

Whom Do I Contact?

• If you are concerned about a student’s learning, contact the Lake Preston School District,
  
  605-847-4455 or
  
  Email Traci Graham

Quick Links

Child Find Duty

This link provides parents an overview of child find, summarizes the school district’s responsibility, and provides key points to remember.

If you suspect your child has a disability

This is a letter giving district patrons information on who they can contact if they think their child may need services.