If you are new to Orange County and have a child who has been receiving special education services, contact the base school in your attendance area and provide them with documentation of your child's special needs (i.e., a copy of student's Individualized Education Plan). When school is not in session, you may contact the Exceptional Children Office at 919.245.4006.

If you believe your child might be in need of special education and/or related services, you should contact your school principal.

Parent Resources

Child Find

What is Project Child Find?

An effort coordinated by your local school system and the Exceptional Children Division, State Department of Public Instruction, to:

• Locate and identify children and youth ages birth through 21 with disabilities who are in need of special education or related services.
• Inform parents and/or guardians of the services available from their locoal school system and other state and community agencies.

Who Are the Children?

Children and youth who have been diagnosed or are suspected to have intellectual, physical, or emotional disablilities and are unable to benefit from a regular school program without special assistance.

What Help is Available?

• A complete evaluation and, if appropriate,
• An Individualized Education Program for children with a disability beginning at age three,
• An Individual Family Service Plan for each child with a disability birth through 2, or
• A referral to other agencies when needed.

For further information regarding Child Find or if you suspect your student may have a disability and need special education and/or related services, please contact Connie Crimmins.

Procedural Safeguards: Handbook on Parents Rights (rev. 2016)/Garantias de Procedimiento Manual de Derechos de Los Padres: This handbook is designed to support families with the understanding of the rights and responsibilities specific to the special education process. Acronyms and terms often used in special education and resources can be found in the appendices. If, at any time, you suspect your student may have a disability and is in need of special education and/or related services, you may request an evaluation, in writing, to your student’s school principal, teacher, or Orange County Schools EC Department.

NC Exceptional Children Website: The mission of the Exceptional Children Division is to ensure that students with disabilities develop intellectually, physically, emotionally, and vocationally through the provision of an appropriate individualized program in the least restrictive environment.

Policies Governing Services for Children with Disabilities

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for Families

What is NC MTSS?
Family engagement within an MTSS is defined as the active and meaningful partnerships that educators build and maintain with students’ families for the purpose of supporting student learning. It embodies the idea that all parties are equally invested in the student’s educational experience and all parties bring knowledge and skills of equal value to the table to work together.
This linked infographic is intended to support NC families in understanding what NC educators are referring to when they are talking about an MTSS.

What is "support"?
NC schools that are implementing an MTSS may talk about support for students. To further define that support, NC organizes these supports around the instruction, the curriculum, and the environment. This linked infographic is intended to promote understanding and conversations around how school teams are providing these supports to all, some, and a few students based on needs.

Orange County Exceptional Children Pre-Kindergarten

Orange County Related Services Directory

Testing Students with Disabilities Handbook

IEP (Individualized Education Plan)

AG Bell NC ABLE 1.19.22

English

Espanol

DPI Parent Newsletters

National Center on Educational Outcomes TIES Center - 9.1.21

Centro Nacional de Resultados Educativos EL Centro TIES - 9.1.21

Your Input is Needed- July 2021

Se Necesita su Opinion- 7.2021

Mar 3 2021 English

Mar 3 2021 Espanol

Feb 3 2021 English

Feb 3 2021 Espanol

Jan 6 2021 English

Jan 6 2021 Espanol

Web Links

We're Not Broken- Changing the Autism Conversation: FREE Seminar October 4

Family Support Program
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
School Of Social Work
325 Pittsboro Street
CB #3550
Chapel Hill, NC  27599-3550
800.852.0042

Cardinal Innovations Child Welfare Program

09.01.21 The Mental Health Needs of Students During COVID-19- A Parent Perspective

09.01.21 UNC School of Social Work 21-22 Focus on Family and Disability Seminar series.pdf

Staff Directory

Connie Crimmins
Director, Exceptional Children
E-mail Connie Crimmins

Maryellen Gollnick
Assistant Director, Exceptional Children
E-mail Maryellen Gollnick

Thea Wilson
EC/Pre-K Program Specialist
E-mail Thea Wilson
919-245-4006 ext. 18002

Drew Collins
Program Specialist - Autism
Email Drew Collins

MaryAnn Baldwin
Program Specialist - Secondary
Email MaryAnn Baldwin