The Special Education Information Center (SPEDTex) provides resources and interactive features for increasing family awareness of disabilities and special education processes, with the goal of improving partnerships between schools and families.
Contact information:
Phone: 1-855-773-3839
Special Education provides “custom services and instruction specific to the needs of that student” (TEA, Overview of Special Education). The resources below provide an overview of special education, give explanations and definitions related to special education services, and an overview of the special education enrollment process.
Supportive Decision-Making Guide
Early Childhood Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education
Frequently Used Educational Terms
Parent Handbook for Special Education
Special Education Handbook Statement
Special Education Information Center
Supplemental Special Education Services
Texas Guide to Adult Guardianship
ARD Guidelines - English and Spanish
Compensatory Services - English
Compensatory Services - Spanish
Initial Evaluation Referral Timeline
Legal Framework for the Child-Centered Special Education Process
Notice of Procedural Safeguards
Parent Guide to the ARD Process
Significant Disproportionality
Special Education Information Center
The Parent-Directed Special Education Services (PDSES) program, previously, the Supplemental Special Education Services (SSES) program is a one-time $1,500 online grant for parents/guardians of eligible students served by special education and who are enrolled in a Texas public school. Parents/guardians of eligible students can use the online accounts to shop the marketplace to obtain educational materials and resources such as textbooks, curriculum, or technology devices and/or services such as additional speech therapy, tutoring, or other specific services.
RTI stands for Response to Intervention. This is a comprehensive intervention service provided at all campuses. Academic and behavioral interventions are provided at increasing levels of intensity in accordance with each student’s individual needs. Depending on the student’s level of need, a collaborative team made up of administrators, teachers, and parents work together to problem-solve and match students to the appropriate instructional and/or behavioral interventions. Students identified as needing more intense remediation may receive these services at no cost to the parent. The heart of RTI is a school-wide system that ensures that all students have access to the time and support they need to learn at high levels and master essential grade-level standards. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s campus administrator.
The Malakoff Independent School District offers comprehensive special education services to eligible students ages three through twenty-one years and to children from birth through age twenty-one years who have a hearing or visual impairment. Children from birth to age three with other disabilities will be referred to appropriate agencies for services. All referrals are considered confidential, and services are provided at no cost. The parent, legal guardian, or surrogate parent retains the right to refuse services and is provided other procedural safeguards under federal and state law.
Public school services include screening in areas of suspected disabilities, such as vision, hearing, motor skills, speech, language, and general development. Evaluations in the schools are provided for several areas of suspected disabilities, including learning disabilities, speech and language development, physical impairments, vision or hearing problems, mental retardation, emotional disturbances, autism/pervasive developmental disorders, health impairments, or traumatic brain injuries.
A free, appropriate, public education with a full continuum of services is available. For more information concerning eligibility criteria and referral procedures, contact the principal or counselor of your campus or call the Malakoff Independent School District Special Education Department at 903-489-1387.
Child Find Coordinator Contact Information
504 Child Find Notice
Pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the District has a duty to identify, refer, evaluate, and if eligible, provide a free, appropriate public education to disabled students. For additional information about the rights of parents of eligible children, or for answers to any questions you might have about identification, evaluation, and placement into Section 504 programs, please contact the District’s Director of Special Populations, Laura Holcombe.
Schools are required to locate, identify, and evaluate all children with disabilities. The Child Find mandate applies to all children who reside within a state, including children who attend private schools and public schools, highly mobile children, migrant children, homeless children, and children who are wards of the state. (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(3))
This includes all children who are suspected of having a disability, including children who receive passing grades and are "advancing from grade to grade." (34 CFR 300.111(c)) The law does not require children to be "labeled" or classified by their disability. (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(3)(B); 34 CFR).