It is the policy of the Windber Area School District that every child shall be provided with the opportunity for a free, appropriate, and public education. Based on Gaskins vs. the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, it is required that school districts increase their capacity to educate students with disabilities in regular education classrooms with appropriate supports. Therefore, students with disabilities in the Windber Area School District are educated with students who do not have disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate. The Windber Area School District is committed to providing all necessary supplemental aids and services available to all exceptional students who need them before considering a more restrictive placement. In addition, these services are designed to provide meaningful educational benefits and are delivered in such a manner that avoids stigmatizing students.

 

ACT 55 of 2022

On July 8, 2022, Governor Tom Wolf signed Act 55 of 2022 into law. 

 

This Act permits the following for the 2022-23 school year: 

A student with a disability who was enrolled during the 2021-22 school year and turned age 21 (either during the 2021-22 school year or between the end of the 2021-22 and the beginning of the 2022-23 school year) may attend a school entity during the 2022-23 school year and receive services as outlined in their most recent Individualized Education Program (IEP) with all the protections under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

To qualify for an additional year, a student had to be enrolled in one of the following school entities in Pennsylvania during the 2021-22 school year: a school district, intermediate unit, area career and technical school, charter school, cyber charter school, regional charter school, approved private school, or chartered school for the education of the deaf and blind. 

 

Parents/guardians and students interested in the above option for the 2022-23 school year must submit this Act 55 of 2022 Student Enrollment Notification Form to the school entity that the student will attend in the 2022-23 school year on or before August 14, 2022.