Special Services

The Barre Unified Union School District (BUUSD) is required by Federal law to locate, identify and evaluate all children with disabilities. The process of locating, identifying and evaluating children with disabilities is known as Child Find.

As the school district of residence, BUUSD has the responsibility to identify and provide services to any child with special needs who may require special education and related services in order to access and benefit from public education. If you have, or know of any BUUSD resident who has a child with a disability under the age of 21, or a child who attends a private school located in Barre City or Barre Town, please contact: Dr. Melody Frank, Director of Special Services; 802-476-5011, 120 Ayers St., Barre, VT  05641

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

The VT Agency of Education provides a number of resources to help families make decisions about special education services for students who have disabilities and who are eligible for special education services under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Visit their website by clicking on the following link:

VT Agency of Education Family Resources

To view or download the rules and regulations governing Special Education in Vermont, please click on the following link:

State of Vermont Special Education Rules

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires schools to provide parents of a child with a disability with a notice containing a full explanation of the procedural safeguards available under the Act, as well as Vermont Agency of Education Special Education Rules. You can find that information by clicking on the following link:

Notice of Procedural Safeguards - Rights of Parents of Students with Disabilities

For additional information and resources for parents with children with disabilities, we encourage you to visit the Vermont Family Network

Section 504 Notice to Parents of Children with Disabilities, and Parents with Children with Suspected Disabilities

Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and/or the Americans with Disabilities Act, a child who has a mental or physical impairment that is substantially limiting the child’s ability to perform a major life activity is protected from discrimination on the basis of disability. (Major life activities include such activities as: caring for one’s self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, learning, thinking, concentrating, eating, sleeping, reading, communicating). Among those protections is the availability of accommodations and services that are necessary to assure that the child is not excluded from participation in or denied the benefits under, any Barre public school program, facility or activity, solely on account of disability.

Whether or not your child is currently receiving a public education, if you believe that your child may have a disability, or if you have questions about this notice or the rights of students with disabilities and their parents under Section 504, or about referral, evaluation and/or planning procedures available to students who are protected by Section 504, please contact the person(s) identified below, or your child’s school principal.

The Barre Unified Union School District Non-Discrimination Coordinator is:

Luke Aither
laithshs@buusd.org

Overview of ADA, Early Childhood Special Education and Section 504

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.  For more information on your rights under the ADA and Section 504, please read the following document:

Overview of ADA, Early Childhood Special Ed, and Section 504

Referral to Homeless Education Liaison Form