YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School - Special Education Services
As a public school, YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School is required by the Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) to provide a free and appropriate public education to all students, including those with disabilities who need special education and related services.

• Students are eligible for special education services if they are found to have one or more of the following disabilities that interfere with their educational performance: (1) autism/ pervasive developmental disorder, (2) deaf-blindness, (3) deafness, (4) emotional disturbance, (5) hearing impairment, (6) mental retardation, (7) multiple disabilities, (8) orthopedic impairment, (9) other health impairment (includes ADD, ADHD, epilepsy, etc.), (10) specific learning disability, (11) speech or language impairment, (12) traumatic brain injury, and/or (13) visual impairment including blindness.
  
  
• Some potential signs of having a disability include experiencing years of difficulties in: reading, writing or solving math problems, focusing and concentrating on schoolwork, sitting still in the classroom, controlling emotions (such as anxiety and depression) and behaviors, etc.
  
  
• If you have had a lot of difficulty in school over the years and you think that you may have one or more of these conditions, you should contact Ms. Nicole LaVerde, our Special Education Coordinator. She will decide if you qualify for a special education evaluation to determine if you are eligible for special education and related services.
  
  
• Through an established screening process, YouthBuild Philadelphia identifies and then evaluates students who are believed to be eligible for special education services. When our screening process indicates that a student may be eligible for services, YouthBuild has to obtain written permission before we can legally conduct an evaluation. Parents may request, at any time, that YouthBuild conduct an evaluation. Requests should be made in writing to the Special Education Coordinator. “Request for Evaluation” forms are available from Ms. Nicole LaVerde, our Special Education Coordinator.
  
  
• After we conduct a comprehensive evaluation of a student, an Evaluation Team is formed to review the evaluation report and determine if the student is eligible for special education and related services. This team consists of the student, his/her parent, the student’s teachers, the student’s case manager, and Ms. Nicole LaVerde, our Special Education Coordinator.
  
  
• If the student’s Evaluation Team determines that he or she is eligible for special education and related services, then that Evaluation Team becomes the student’s IEP Team and writes a detailed plan for supporting the student over the coming year so that he or she can be successful in school—and then later in life. This plan—the IEP—is called an Individualized Education Plan and is different for each student.