Day and Residential Student Status

PURPOSE:  

To insure the health and safety of staff and students while on campus.

Policy 

Students shall access the educational programs at the Washington State School for the Blind as a residential or day student.  This status shall be designated at each student’s respective case conference (IEP meeting including placement meeting), involving the local education agency, the custodial parent or legal guardian (or student if student is of legal age), and staff and administration of the Washington State School for the Blind.  It is the responsibility of the conference facilitator (usually a WSSB administrator) to ensure that the day or residential status and resultant transportation arrangements are clearly designated at the IEP meeting.  Per federal and state law, any change in day or residential status constitutes a change in the educational program and the student’s individual education plan.  Any such change, therefore necessitates an IEP meeting.  Students, parents, or staff may not informally change the student’s status without going through the formal process as delineated in law, rules and regulations.  Changing a student’s status from day to residential so that the student can access extra-curricular and co-curricular activities such as sports, scouting, etc., constitutes an IEP decision given that this is a long-term arrangement. This policy allows students to be placed on both residential and day status, but specific days must be delineated for these split time arrangements as part of the IEP.

The Superintendent has designated the Director of Student Home Services to approve individual students to spend an overnight in the cottages if the request meets the following criteria:

1. A day student desires to take part in a school sponsored program that necessitates the student’s staying overnight for logistical reasons; 
2. The parents give written, phone or direct in-person permission for this overnight stay and;
3. The Director of Student Home Services has a least 24 hours to consider the request.  It shall be the parent’s responsibility to provide transportation to and from the Washington State School for the Blind in such situations.

Procedure:

All existing IEP forms shall be revised to clearly include and reflect the day or residential student status and responsibility and arrangement for special transportation. Special transportation under IDEA constitutes wheelchair lifts or specially constitutes transportation necessary in order for the child to attend school.  If the child has the ability to access regular public or school type of transportation (yellow bus), special transportation is not required and should not be listed on the IEP form.  The Director of Student Home Services has the responsibility to develop an overnight or short-term residential approval form. Request to the Director of Student Home Services for emergency overnight or very short-term placements may be made by telephone, in writing, or in person.  The Director has the responsibility to ensure that the request is documented and placed on file.  The 24-hour advance request Is required to allow ample time for notification and coordination of the administration, residential, health, and food service departments. The Director of Student Home Services, Director of Education shall have the responsibility to inform all parents, students, and local school districts of this policy.

Clarifiers:

• Day Student maximum mileage or time from WSSB: 45 miles or one hour.  Students outside of this range must be residential students.
• Residential students: typically will be those students beyond the 45 miles or one-hour range.  However, parents living within these ranges may request residential placement as part of the IEP program plan as part of the need for more intensive residential experiences.