Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services
December, 2003

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The Michigan School for the Deaf (MSD) offers a total communication Deaf Education program designed for students with hearing impairments. Students who attend the MSD receive a combination of services which includes academic classroom programs, behavior intervention services, nonacademic and extracurricular services and activities, and transition services. As a part of the continuum of services and programs, the MSD offers educational programs and related services at the Flint campus.

Placement at the MSD is determined on a student-by-student basis through the Individualized Education Program Team (IEPT) process, following all state and federal regulations.

PLACEMENT AT MSD

Any interested individual may contact the MSD for information regarding the state school. The school is open to informal and prearranged tours by individuals and groups in order to gain a better understanding of the programs and services provided.

Rule 340.1742(2)(b) of Michigan’s Administrative Rules for Special Education requires that: “Before application, the person shall have been identified by the referring school district as hearing impaired under R340.1707.” The typical student attending the MSD has a minimum loss of 56 dB HL (hearing loss) P.T.A. (Pure Tone Average) in the better ear and/or a speech discrimination on a standardized word list of less than 50% or a statement from a physician skilled in diseases of the ear, indicating progressive hearing loss. Placement at the MSD may be considered for other students with hearing impairments.

When placement at the MSD is being considered, the resident school district will forward to MSD appropriate records which may include, but are not limited to:

• Current Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team (MET) reports
• Latest Individualized Education Program (IEP)
• Medical evaluations
• Audiological evaluation
• Other special education support services reports

These records must be exchanged prior to the IEPT meeting being scheduled to consider placement at the MSD.

It is preferred that the resident school district contact the MSD to seek technical assistance and consultation prior to considering placement at the MSD. Collaborative consideration as to the need for placement at MSD is preferred.

Per Rule 340.1721e(5), the resident school district shall conduct the IEPT meeting that initiates an assignment into the MSD. Representatives of the intermediate school district of residence and the MSD shall be invited to participate in the IEPT meeting.

The MSD shall act as an operating school district under Rule 340.1721c. The school district of residence shall conduct or authorize the MSD to conduct each subsequent IEPT meeting at a mutually agreed upon time and place.

In collaboration with the resident school district, the MSD staff will participate in the development of an appropriate educational program for each student. At the initial placement IEP, if the MSD staff has had insufficient time for consultation and technical assistance with the student, the MSD staff will recommend that the student be placed at the MSD for an evaluation period up to 30 school days, in which time the MSD staff will complete an evaluation and the IEPT will reconvene to determine appropriate programs and services.

TRANSPORTATION

The MSD provides transportation for enrolled students to and from any off-campus site that is necessary to provide special education programs and services as described in the student's contractual agreement with the resident school district. These transportation costs are billed to the local resident school district. The resident school district is responsible to provide transportation for its MSD students between the MSD and the resident school district.

OUTREACH SERVICES

The MSD will provide American Sign Language facilitated evaluations to non-enrolled students by contractual agreement with the resident school district through an IEP consultation or technical assistance process.

Evaluations provided by contractors for enrolled students are billed to the resident school district. Contracted audiology evaluations and services provided to non-enrolled students, upon request, are billed to the resident school district. Attendance at an IEP Team meeting for a student who is attending the MSD, or being considered for admission to the MSD, is not a service that is billed to the resident school district. Signed Communication Proficiency Interviews are provided through a federal grant to special education personnel at no cost to the resident school district.

Nothing within these operational procedures reduces the rights and protections of students and their parents under state and federal laws including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and its implementing regulations, or Michigan Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1976, as amended, and its implementing regulations.