The Special Education Department


Individualized support for individualized success.


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Caring with attention & support.

The number one goal of the Special Education Department is to ensure students and families receive the attention and support needed to live active, fulfilling, and successful lives.

Our special educators are not just teachers, they are advocates and liaisons for our students and families. 

Our dedicated professionals are highly attuned to the instructional, social, and emotional needs of our students, and provide an integrated academic and social experience in allowing them to thrive, which leads them towards success.

Information & Resources

New Foundations is committed to providing a continuum of services that offers students with disabilities the opportunity to access the general curriculum of the school in the least restrictive environment. Services are designed in alignment with CHILD FIND, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 04) and state law (Chapter 14) to meet the needs of New Foundations Charter School students with disabilities. These services are provided at no cost to students who qualify.

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The Special Education Department is committed to supporting the delivery of specially designed instructional strategies and related services as prescribed on an identified students Individualized Education Plan (IEP) with an emphasis on increasing opportunities for students with disabilities to learn and grow with non-disabled peers.

A student must be evaluated and identified as having a disability and in need of specially designed instructional strategies by a Multidisciplinary Evaluation (MDE) to be eligible for special education programs and related services. 

Disability Categories 
Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disorder
Emotional Disturbance
Hearing Impairment including Deafness
Intellectual Disability
Multiple Disabilities
Orthopedic Impairment
Other Health Impairments
Specific Learning Disabilities
Speech and Language Impairments
Traumatic Brain Injury
Vision Impairment including Blindness


Examples of Related Services
Assistive Technology
Audiology
Counseling
Occupational Therapy
Orientation and Mobility
Physical Therapy
Psychological
Speech and Language
Transportation


Contact 
Any additional questions regarding special education resources please reach out to our Director of Special Education, Mr. Christian Laurence (K-8 Campus), at claurence@newfoundations.org or Colleen Mroz (High School Campus) CMroz@NewFoundations.org


The Pennsylvania Parent Guide To Special Education for School Age Children from the Pennsylvania Department of Education outlines how a child’s need for special education is determined, how a child’s educational program is developed, the responsibilities and protections guaranteed to parents and children, and the resources available to parents of a child with disabilities. This guide has been updated to reflect the new July 2008 Chapter 14 regulations. Please refer to pages 1-5 for information regarding how a child can be found eligible for special education services.

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Additional Resources
ASSERT
PA Family Network
Acting without Boundaries
ADHD Aware
Athletes Helping Athletes (AHA)
CHADD
Council for Exceptional Children
Department of Mental Health/Developmental Programs 
Education Law Center
Lenape Valley Foundation
National Alliance on Mental Health
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR)
Early Reach Initiative
Parent Presentation
Parent Involved Network of Pennsylvania
GoNoodle
The Autism Society
School-Based Occupational Therapy
The OT ToolBox
IEP Information: Families
To more clearly understand the Special Education process, please review a detailed timeline here.
If you are interested in having your student evaluated for Special Education services, please request a form from our Director of Special Education, Mr. Christian Laurence, at claurence@newfoundations.org (K-8 Campus) or Colleen Mroz, at CMroz@Newfoundations.org. You can view the Parental Request for Evaluation and Re-Evaluation Forms here.
Procedural Safeguards Letter and Notice.
Components of an IEP.


504 Plan
To learn more about the 504 Plan, please click here.
To learn about the differences between an IEP and 504, please click here.

The primary purpose of the federal special education law known as The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related served designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living. IDEA also states that transition planning for students who receive special education services through an IEP must begin at age 16. In Pennsylvania, this process begins at age 14. 

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IDEA Statement on Transition 

The mission of the NFCS English Language Learning (ELL) Program is to provide a diverse population of students who are learning English with access to a variety of courses, academic and extracurricular activities that will allow them to gain linguistic and cultural knowledge to further their academic, social, and emotional learning and provide opportunities for English language development. Our educators are dedicated to supporting our multi language learners and speakers.

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Contact
For more information regarding the procedures and curriculum of ELL at New Foundations, please email Ms. Angela Wilson at awilson@newfoundations.org.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. §1681 et seq., protects students from discrimination based on sex in educational programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance.

Our Special Education Administrators

Chris Laurence Chris Laurence

Chris Laurence

K-8 Director of Special Education

Colleen Mroz Colleen Mroz

Colleen Mroz

High School Director of Special Education

An Intentional Curriculum