Student Support Services

Special education services are available to address needs of students with disabilities from birth to age 22 who are in need of specialized instruction.  

Special Education webpage

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• The purpose of Homebound Instructional Services is to provide K-12 students who are unable to attend classes at a school building for health or other reasons with educational services which will allow the students to maintain academic progress on agreed upon classes and to facilitate a successful transition back to a school building as quickly as possible.
• Medical Homebound Instructional Services are educational services provided to a student in the home or other non-school building site within PLSAS boundaries when a medical authority (ie; licensed physician, psychiatrist) submits verification of the student’s confinement to their home and inability to attend school. The district referral process includes receipt of the following: written documentation of a medical diagnosis, anticipated dates of absences and possible return dates, as well as a medical request for homebound service to begin during the treatment process which includes verification of the student’s confinement to their home and inability to attend school.  It is expected that homebound instructional services will be short-term and unless there are exceptional circumstances, homebound services shall not exceed 172 school days, i.e. the normal school year.  While a student is receiving homebound instructional services that student remains enrolled in and the responsibility of the school site the student attended immediately before receiving homebound instructional services.
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• Children enrolled by their parents in private schools or who are home schooled may participate in publicly funded special education programs, and school districts have the clear responsibility to offer a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to students with disabilities. The amount that local education agencies must spend for special education services for parentally enrolled private school students with disabilities is limited by federal law to a proportionate share of federal funding available to the local education agency under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA). This allocation also includes the provision of Health Services, Secondary Counseling and Guidance, along with management of Title funding.
• Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools is also responsible for locating, identifying, and evaluating all children with disabilities within its boundaries, including those who attend nonpublic schools within its boundaries.
• Special Education for Homeschooled Students
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Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, satus with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation or disability.  Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools is committed to providing a free and appropriate public education to students with disabilities. Students who have a diagnosed medical condition identified to be a disability may be eligible for certain protections under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. 

Schools are required to provide access to education for all students and to make available reasonable accommodations to a child’s educational program or setting. If a student is eligible for protection under Section 504, a Section 504 Plan will be developed by the child’s team including parents, child (if appropriate) and other knowledgeable personnel. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a civil rights law designed to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability in any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. Section 504 guarantees certain rights to individuals with disabilities, including the right to full participation and access to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) to all children regardless of the nature or severity of the disability. 

Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools' designated 504 coordinator is Michelle Cuka, Director of Student Support Services and she can be reached at :

4540 Tower St. SE
Prior Lake, MN 55372

952-226-0033 or mcuka@plsas.org

If any person believes Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools or any of the District's staff have violated the principles and/or regulations of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, they may bring forward a complaint in accordance with the following procedure. Click here for Grievance Procedure.

 

 

Health Services are provided for all students in Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools. Each building is staffed with a health aide, LPN or RN, and overseen by a district Licensed School Nurse (LSN). 

Student Health Services webpage

 

This public notice provides information about the rights of children, youths, and unaccompanied youth that are homeless to attend a public school or public charter school. An unaccompanied youth is a youth that does not live with a parent or guardian. This notice includes information to help you know if you or someone you know is considered homeless and is eligible for services from our school district. Children or youths that are homeless have rights that include the right to attend public schools. If you need assistance understanding this letter, please contact:

Do you need an interpreter? Please tell us and we will make sure one is available.

Our school district actively enrolls and provides services for children and youth that are homeless. If you are homeless or know of a child, youth, or unaccompanied youth that may be homeless, please contact the person listed here for help.

District Liaison: Sam Ouk
Phone: (952) 226-0071
Email: souk@plsas.org

4540 Tower St. SE
Prior Lake, MN 55372

Who is “homeless”? Children or youth (including children of migrant workers) who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence are homeless. Fixed means the home is connected to the ground and is not easy to move. Regular means a place where the child sleeps every night. Adequate means the home meets modern standards of living. Children who are sharing someone else’s housing because they lost theirs or because they cannot afford their own housing are homeless. Children and youths who are homeless may be living in:

• motels;
• hotels;
• trailer parks (this does not refer to a mobile home (trailer) park, this refers to a type of camping ground for fifth wheel camper trailers or other types of movable campers);
• camping grounds because they do not have an adequate home;
• emergency or transitional shelters;
• or are abandoned in hospitals.

• Children and youth who are homeless may have a place they usually sleep that is a public or private place not meant to be a regular place for people to sleep. They may also be living in:
  • cars;
  • parks;
  • public spaces;
  • abandoned buildings;
  • substandard housing (housing that does not meet modern standards of living);
  • bus or train stations;
  • or other similar settings.

If you are not sure, please contact        .

• What are the education rights of children and youth that are homeless? Our schools provide the same educational services to all students without regard to their living situation. Children and youth who are homeless also have rights that include:
  • Based on what is best for the child or youth, the child or youth can continue to attend the “school of origin” or be immediately enrolled in any public school where the student now lives. This includes any school that students who are not homeless attend that is in the area where the child or youth now lives.
  • Being given services without delay, such as transportation and meal programs.
  • Other appropriate services and programs, such as programs for:
    • gifted children;
    • children with disabilities;
    • English learners;
    • career and technical education;
    • and preschool.
  • Help in school through the district’s federally funded Title I program. A student that is homeless can receive Title I services even if the student is not attending a Title I funded school.
  • School activities for parents or guardians.
  • Participation in athletics, fine arts, or other extra-curricular activities.
  • Being treated the same as students who are not homeless by school personnel;
• What is the “school of origin”? ‘School of origin’ means the school the child or youth attended before becoming homeless or the school the child or youth last attended, including a preschool. When the child or youth completes the final grade level of a school of origin, then ‘school of origin’ means the school the child or youth would attend at the next grade level. The district must consider what is best for the child or youth when making a decision about which school the student will attend. Placement at the school of origin must be a choice unless doing so is not what is best for the student or is against the wishes of the parent, guardian or unaccompanied youth.
• What if there is disagreement about school placement? If the district places a student in a school that is not the school of origin or a school requested by the parent, guardian or unaccompanied youth, then the parent, guardian or unaccompanied youth may appeal (ask to change) the placement decision. The student will be immediately enrolled in the school that the student or parent asked for while an appeal is being considered. The district homeless liaison listed on this notice will provide information and assistance to appeal a placement decision.

No Child or Youth Should Be Denied Access to a Free and Appropriate Public Education

Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools partners with Scott County to provide co-located mental health services for students grades K-12.  We also partner with the Park Nicollet Foundation to offer school-based grief support and crisis management for students grades 6-12 who have suffered the loss of a loved one. To learn more, please reach out to your school's social worker or your student's counselor.

In the event of an emergency, there are numerous locations for evaluations in the Prior Lake-Savage Community and beyond.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Hours: Available 24 hours
Languages: English, Spanish
1-800-273-8255

Prairie Care Mental Health Screening
(952) 826-8475

Scott County Mental Health
Can schedule a crisis appointment: (651) 777-5222

Scott County Mental Health Center
200 Fourth Ave. West
Shakopee, MN 55379
(952) 445-7751
www.co.scott.mn.us