September 1, 2004 (X) Action Required
See schedule below
( ) Informational
BULLETIN NO. 053-04 SPECIAL PROGRAMS
TO: Educational Service District Superintendents
School District Superintendents
Educational Service District Special Education Officers
School District Special Education Directors
FROM: Dr. Terry Bergeson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
RE: Federal Special Education Data Reporting Requirements
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) collects special education
data which must be submitted annually to the Office of Special Education Programs
(OSEP), U.S. Department of Education.
This bulletin informs school districts of all the federally required data that will be
collected during the 200405 school year. Each collection has a separate set of
instructions, data collection forms, and due dates.
Another bulletin will not be sent out to districts after this package. Approximately one
month before each due date, reminders will be sent via e-mail along with the forms and
instructions. In addition to the e-mail reminders, the data collection instruments are
located on the web site at http://www.k12.wa.us/SpecialEd/forms.aspx.
Data reports for 200405 must be submitted via email using the templates provided.
Please review the data submission instructions included with this bulletin for direction.
The child count and LRE certification form is the only form required to be submitted in
hard copy since it requires a signature from the school district administrator responsible
for this data submission. Print, sign, and mail this form per submission instructions
included in both this document and the template.
BULLETIN NO. 053–04 SP
Page 2
September 1, 2004
The data collection form templates contain macros. When opening each template
you will be notified that the document contains macros. Choose ‘enable macros’
to ensure the complete functionality of the forms.
Any changes in submission or collection instructions will be located on the Instructions
page in bold print.
Collection Name: Date Due: Form Numbers/Names:
Federal Special Education Child 12/17/04 E-721, IDEA Part B, December 1,
Count 2004, Child Count Report and
E-721ETHN, Part B, December 1,
2004, Ethnicity Child Count Report
Least Restrictive Environment 12/17/04 1077 Sections A–E Implementation
(LRE) of Least Restrictive Environment
(LRE) Requirement, IDEA-B
Special Education Personnel 05/31/05 1166 Special Education Teachers
Employed and Needed and Other Related Services
Personnel Employed and Needed
Special Education Students 07/01/05 1484A and B Special Education
Suspended/Expelled Students Suspended/Expelled by
Disability Category and Ethnicity
If you have any questions regarding this bulletin, please contact Sandy Grummick or
Michelle Sartain at 360/725-6075, TTY 360/586-0126, grummick@ospi.wednet.edu or
msartain@ospi.wednet.edu.
LEARNING AND TEACHING
Mary Alice Heuschel
Deputy Superintendent
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Bob Harmon
Assistant Superintendent
Douglas H. Gill
Director, Special Education Operations
Attachment 1 – Forms E-721, IDEA Part B, Child Count Report, E-721ETHN, Part B,
Ethnicity Child Count Report and 1077 Sections A–E Implementation of
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Requirement, IDEA-B
Attachment 2 – Form 1166 Special Education Teachers and Other Related Services
Personnel Employed and Needed
Attachment 3 – Forms 1484A and B Special Education Students Suspended/Expelled
by Disability Category and Ethnicity
Instructions for forms:
E-721, IDEA Part B, December 1, 2004, Child Count Report and
E-721ETHN, Part B, December 1, 2004, Ethnicity Child Count Report
Due to OSPI:
12/17/04
FEDERAL CHILD COUNT
REPORT PURPOSE AND INSTRUCTIONS
Purpose:
Federal and state special education regulations require that school districts provide information regarding
the numbers and types of special education students by disability category and ethnicity. School districts
are eligible to receive federal special education funds for serving children and youth with disabilities
receiving special education and related services. All eligible special education students are to be counted
for IDEA, Part B funds.
Collection instructions:
Child count reports must be completed for all special education students aged 3 to 21 to be counted for
IDEA, Part B funds. Students below 3 years of age are not included on this report. The total number of
students on the child count reports must match the total number of students aged 3 to 21 counted on the
LRE report (form 1077). The total number of students reported on form E-721 IDEA must match the totals
on form E-721 Ethnicity IDEA. Forms will be returned if these totals do not match.
Each school district is responsible for counting all the students it serves by using a separate form for each
resident district. Districts with no special education students must still submit the child count and least
restrictive environment reports. Duplicate as many copies of the file as needed to complete each
Resident/Serving District submission.
OSPI is required to submit the state‟s final child count to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of
Special Education Programs (OSEP) no later than February 1, 2005. Computer printouts will not be sent
to districts for verification, as there is no opportunity for upward revisions after the initial count is reported
to OSPI. This deadline is also applicable to the least restrictive environment forms. An email will
be sent to districts confirming receipt of error-free files. Keep a copy of the email for your files.
Template download instructions:
To download templates go to http://www.k12.wa.us/SpecialEd/forms.aspx and choose the Federal
Special Education Child Count and Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) form link. Click the
link once and save the template to a folder on your computer. Then open the saved template
with Excel, choose „enable macros‟ to ensure the complete functionality of the forms. Do not start
entering data until the template is saved to your computer and opened with Excel otherwise
the data entered will not be saved. After the data is completely entered and saved, attach that
excel template to an email and send to grummick@ospi.wednet.edu. Data cannot be submitted
through the OSPI website, only by an email attachment.
When entering the data, cells will become highlighted in red signifying errors. Do not try to fix any
errors until all the data in both the child count and LRE forms are complete. Then go back and
check for any red cells. Any forms submitted containing red highlighted cells will not be accepted and
returned for corrections.
Submit, electronically, a completed copy of the Excel template provided to
grummick@ospi.wednet.edu by December 17, 2004. Any templates submitted containing red cells
(errors) will be returned immediately for correction. Print out, sign, and mail the Certification page with
the appropriate signature to Michelle Sartain, Special Education Operations, OSPI, PO Box 47200,
Olympia, WA 98504-7200 by December 17, 2004. Retain a complete copy for your files.
• All special education students included on the child count report must meet Washington State
eligibility criteria, including current assessment and individualized education program, and be receiving
special education services as of December 1, 2004.
Each district must maintain a list of students counted by age/disability and ethnicity/disability for
verification or audit purposes.
Each school district must report all of the special education students it serves; each student must be
identified by resident school district.
The IDEA, Part B child count and child count ethnicity reports include only ages 3 to 21.
Students should be counted by disability category and age as of December 1, 2004. Do not use your
P-223H count to complete this report. The P-223H count is based on the child‟s age as of August 31
rather than December 1. The IDEA, Part B count must be compared to the December 2004 P-223H
count. Discrepancies may occur and should be investigated by the district to ensure the accuracy of
all counts.
Instructions for forms:
1077 Sections A through E Implementation of Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
Requirement, IDEA-B
Due to OSPI:
12/17/04
LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT (LRE)
REPORT PURPOSE AND INSTRUCTIONS
Purpose:
Federal and state special education regulations require that school districts provide information regarding
the numbers and types of special education students by placement option within the district‟s continuum of
alternative placements. The intent of these data is to show the extent to which special education students
participate in regular education programs. This report is based on a student's regular school day.
Collection instructions:
LRE reports must be completed for all special education students aged 3 to 21 counted for IDEA, Part B
funds. Children below 3 years of age are not included on this LRE report. The total number of students on
the LRE reports must match the total number of students aged 3 to 21 counted for IDEA, Part B funds
(Form E-721). The total number of students reported in Tables 1 through 8 of the LRE reports should
match the totals on LRE page 4 of Section E. As well, the totals in Section D should match the totals on
LRE page 3 of Section E.
Template download instructions:
To download templates go to http://www.k12.wa.us/SpecialEd/forms.aspx and choose the Federal
Special Education Child Count and Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) form link. Click the
link once and save the template to a folder on your computer. Then open the saved template
with Excel, choose „enable macros‟ to ensure the complete functionality of the forms. Do not start
entering data until the template is saved to your computer and opened with Excel otherwise
the data entered will not be saved. After the data is completely entered and saved then
attached that excel template to an email and send to grummick@ospi.wednet.edu. Data cannot
be submitted through the OSPI website, only by an email attachment.
When entering the data, cells will become highlighted in red signifying errors. Do not try to fix any
errors until all the data in both the child count and LRE forms are complete. Then go back and
check for any red cells. Any forms submitted containing red highlighted cells will not be accepted and
returned for corrections.
Submit, electronically, a completed copy of the Excel template provided to
grummick@ospi.wednet.edu by December 17, 2004. Any templates submitted containing red cells
(errors) will be returned immediately for correction. Print out, sign and mail the Certification page with
the appropriate signature to Michelle Sartain, Special Education Operations, OSPI, PO Box 47200,
Olympia, WA 98504-7200 by December 17, 2004. Retain a complete copy for your files.
Each school district is responsible for counting all the students it serves by using a separate form for each
resident district. Districts with no special education students must still submit the child count and least
restrictive environment reports. Duplicate as many copies of the file as needed to complete each
Resident/Serving District submission.
OSPI is required to submit the state‟s final child count to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of
Special Education Programs (OSEP) by February 1, 2004. Computer printouts will not be sent to districts
for verification, as there is no opportunity for upward revisions after the initial count is reported to OSPI.
This deadline is also applicable to the child count forms. An email will be sent to districts confirming
receipt of error-free files. Keep a copy of this email for your files.
Section A: Educational Placements of Special Education Students Aged 6 to 21
Section A is an unduplicated count of all special education students by age (AGES 6 to 21 ONLY),
disability category, and educational setting. This count is intended to include all students receiving special
education services as reported on the December 1, 2004, IDEA, Part B child count. The counts reported
in Sections B and C must also be included in Section A.
Category Definitions/Examples
1. Report the number This may include children with disabilities placed in:
of special education regular class with special education/related services provided within
students (ages 6 to regular classes;
21) who spend 80 to regular class with special education/related services provided outside
100 percent of the regular classes; or
school day in the regular class with special education services provided in resource rooms.
regular classroom.
2. Report the number This may include children placed in:
special education resource rooms with special education/related services provided within
students (ages 6 to the resource room; or
21) who spend 40 to resource rooms with part-time instruction in a regular class.
79 percent of the
school day in the
regular classroom.
3. Report the number Do not include children who received education programs in public or private
special education separate day or residential facilities. This category may include children placed
students (ages 6 to in:
21) who spend 0 to self-contained special classrooms with part-time instruction in a regular
39 percent of the class; or
school day in the self-contained special classrooms with full-time special education
regular classroom. instruction on a regular school campus.
4. Report the number This includes children with disabilities receiving special education and related
students (ages 6 to services for greater than 50 percent of the school day in public separate
21) receiving special schools. This may include children placed in:
education and public day schools for students with disabilities; or
related services in public day schools for students with disabilities for a portion of the school
public separate day day (greater than 50 percent) and in regular school buildings for the
school facilities. remainder of the school day.
public residential facilities if the student does not live at the facility.
5. Report the number This includes children with disabilities receiving special education and related
students (ages 6 to services, at public expense, for greater than 50 percent of the school day in
21) receiving special private separate schools. This may include children placed in:
education and private day schools for students with disabilities; or
related services in private day schools for students with disabilities for a portion of the school
private separate day (greater than 50 percent) and in regular school buildings for the
day school remainder of the school day.
facilities. private residential facilities if the student does not live at the facility.
6. Report the number This includes children with disabilities receiving special education and related
students (ages 6 to services and lived in public residential facilities during the school week.
21) receiving special This includes children with disabilities receiving special education and related
education and services for greater than 50 percent of the school day in public residential
related services and facilities. This may include children placed in:
lived in public public residential schools for students with disabilities; or
residential facilities public residential schools for students with disabilities for a portion of the
during the school school day (greater than 50 percent) and in separate day schools or
week. regular school buildings for the remainder of the school day.
Do not include students who received education programs at the facility,
but do not live there.
7. Report the number This includes children with disabilities receiving special education and related
students (ages 6 to services and lived in private residential facilities during the school week.
21) receiving special This includes children with disabilities receiving special education and related
education and services, at public expense, for greater than 50 percent of the school day in
related services and private residential facilities. This may include children placed in:
lived in private private residential schools for students with disabilities; or
residential facilities private residential schools for students with disabilities for a portion of the
during the school school day (greater than 50 percent) and in separate day schools or
week. regular school buildings for the remainder of the school day.
Do not include students who received education programs at the facility,
but do not live there.
8. Report the number This may include students placed in homebound/hospital environment
students (ages 6 to includes special education students placed in and receiving special education
21) receiving special and related services in:
education and hospital programs, or
related services in homebound programs.
homebound/hospital Do not include special education students whose parents have opted to
placements. home-school them and who receive special education at the public
expense.
Additional clarification points for special education students aged 6-21:
Home-schooled students who receive special education and related services provided by the
local educational agency should be counted in tables 1, 2, or 3. For these students, the
number of hours outside the regular classroom is the number of hours the youth spends in
separate special education environments (e.g. resource rooms, self-contained special
education classrooms, separate schools).
Educational time spent in age-appropriate community-based settings that include individuals
with and without disabilities, such as college campuses or vocational sites, should be counted
as time spent with non-disabled peers.
If the environment is not specifically for special education students, then consider it time in
the regular classroom.
Section B: Special Education Students Served in Correctional Facilities
Indicate those students reported in Section A (students aged 6 to 21) and Section D (students aged 3
through 5) who are receiving special education services in correctional facilities. This includes all students
receiving special education services in short-term detention facilities (community-based or residential) or
correctional facilities.
Section C: Special Education Students Enrolled in Private Schools
Indicate those students reported in Section A (students aged 6 to 21) and Section D (students aged 3
through 5) who were enrolled by their parents or guardians in regular parochial or other private schools,
whose basic education is paid through private resources, and who receive special education and related
services at public expense from a local district.
Section D: Educational Placements of Special Education Students Aged 3 through 5
Category Definitions/Examples
1. Early Childhood Report those special education students (aged 3 through 5) who received
Setting ALL (100%) of their special education and related services in educational
programs designed primarily for children without disabilities. No special
education or related services are provided in separate special education
settings. This may include, but is not limited to special education and related
services provided in:
regular kindergarten classes;
public or private preschools;
Head Start Centers;
child care facilities;
preschool classes offered to an eligible pre-kindergarten population by
the public school system;
home/early childhood combinations;
home/Head Start combinations; and
other combinations of early childhood settings.
2. Early Childhood Report those special education students (aged 3 through 5) who received ALL
Special Education (100%) of their special education and related services in educational programs
Setting designed primarily for special education students housed in regular school
buildings or other community-based settings. No special education or related
services are provided in early childhood settings. This may include, but is not
limited to special education and related services provided in:
special education classrooms in regular school buildings;
special education classrooms in child care facilities, hospital facilities on
an outpatient basis, or other community-based settings; and
special education classrooms in trailers or portables outside regular
school buildings.
3. Home Report those special education students (aged 3 through 5) who received all
of their special education and related services in the principal residence of the
child‟s family or caregivers.
4. Part-Time Early Report those special education students (aged 3 through 5) who received their
Childhood/Part-Time special education and related services in multiple settings, such that: (1) a
Early Childhood portion of their special education and related services is provided at home or
Special Education in educational programs designed for children without disabilities, and (2) the
Setting remainder of their special education and related services is provided in
programs designed primarily for special education students. This may include,
but is not limited to special education and related services provided in:
home/early childhood special education combinations;
Head Start, child care, nursery school facilities, or other community-
based settings and outside of the regular class combinations;
regular kindergarten classes and outside of the regular class
combinations;
separate school/early childhood combinations; and
residential facility/early childhood combinations.
5. Residential Facility Report those special education students (aged 3 through 5) who received all
of their special education and related services in publicly or privately operated
residential schools or residential medical facilities on an inpatient basis.
6. Separate School Report those special education students (aged 3 through 5) who received all
of their special education and related services in educational programs in
public or private day schools specifically for children with disabilities.
7. Itinerant Service Report those special education students (aged 3 through 5) who received all
Outside the Home of their special education and related services at a school, a hospital facility on
(OPTIONAL) an outpatient basis, or other location for a short period of time (no more than
three hours per week). (This row does not include children receiving services
at home; those children are reported in row C.) These services may be
provided individually or to a small group of children. This may include, but is
not limited to: speech instruction up to 3 hours per week in a school, hospital,
or other community-based setting. Children receiving all of their special
education and related services at a school, hospital facility on an outpatient
basis, or other location for longer than 3 hours must be reported under early
childhood special education setting or early childhood setting, depending on
whether the program was designed primarily for students with or without
disabilities.
8. Reverse Mainstream Report those special education students (aged 3 through 5) who received all
Setting (OPTIONAL) of their special education and related services in educational programs
designed primarily for children with disabilities but that include 50 percent or
more children without disabilities.
Section E: Educational Placements of Special Education Students Aged 3 through 5 and 6 to 21—
RACE/ETHNICITY
At this time we are using the following racial categories. Please use only one of the categories for each
person. The total number in this section must match the totals submitted in Sections A through D
of this report as well as the ethnicity section of Form E-721 (child count).
Using the same placement settings as in Section D, report students aged 3 through 5, and in Section A
report students aged 6 to 21 in the following race/ethnicity categories defined by OMB as follows:
American Indian/Alaska Native: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and
South America (including Central America) and who maintains cultural identification through tribal
affiliation or community attachment.
Asian: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian
subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the
Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Black or African American, Non-Hispanic: A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of
Africa.
Hispanic or Latino: A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other
Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.
Caucasian or White: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or
North Africa.
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of
Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.
Of more than one race or Multiracial: A person of multiple race categories.
Not Provided: A person who has chosen not to provide information. Note: According to federal
requirements, OSPI must report a race/ethnicity code for each student, if the district does not provide,
OSPI will, using a formula based on the district population.
Instructions for form:
1166 Special Education Teachers and Other Related
Services Personnel Employed and Needed
Due to OSPI:
05/31/05
SPECIAL EDUCATION PERSONNEL EMPLOYED AND NEEDED
REPORT PURPOSE AND INSTRUCTIONS
Please report the number of special education personnel employed or contracted and needed to provide
special education and related services to eligible special education students aged 3 to 21 years of age as
of December 1, 2004. All personnel employed to work with special education students aged 3 to 21 years
regardless of funding source (i.e., Part B of IDEA, state, or local) should be included. Special education
teachers in separate schools and facilities should be reported.
Template download instructions:
To download templates go to http://www.k12.wa.us/SpecialEd/forms.aspx and choose the Special
Education Personnel Employed and Needed form link. Click the link once and save the template to
a folder on your computer. Then open the saved template with Excel, choose „enable macros‟ to
ensure the complete functionality of the forms. Do not start entering data until the template is saved to
your computer and opened with Excel otherwise the data entered will not be saved. After the data
is completely entered and saved then attached that excel template to an email and send to
grummick@ospi.wednet.edu. Data cannot be submitted through the OSPI website, only by an
email attachment. An email will be sent to districts confirming receipt of files. Keep a copy of the
email for your files.
Numbers should be reported in full-time equivalency (FTE) of assignment. That is, a part-time teacher
working four hours per day in a six-hour day would be reported as .67 FTE. The FTE calculation for each
classification vary. Please use the formula your school district uses to determine FTE.
Do not report general education teachers who work with eligible special education students or teachers
and other instructional personnel who work with eligible special education students aged 0 through 2
years.
Total employed personnel are those special education teachers or other personnel employed or
contracted by the district to work with eligible special education students aged 3 to 21. This column should
include teachers of special education students in separate schools and facilities. This total includes newly
employed personnel.
Newly employed personnel are those special education teachers or other personnel who were employed
or contracted by the district for the first time during the 2004–05 school year. These personnel are a
subset of the total employed numbers.
Fully qualified personnel are those who had appropriate Washington State certification, endorsement, or
licensure for the position held. Use this column to report staff in personnel categories that do not require
certification, endorsement, or licensure if the staff meet existing standards or requirements for the position
held. Also, use this column if no state requirements exist for a particular position. Include personnel who
are employed or contracted by the school district.
Otherwise qualified personnel are those who were employed on an emergency, provisional, or other basis
if they did not hold standard Washington State certification, endorsement, or licensure for the position to
which they were assigned or if they did not meet other existing state requirements for the position. This
includes long-term substitutes. Include personnel who are employed or contracted by the school district.
Contracted personnel are those with whom the district contracted to provide special education or related
services. These personnel are included in the total employed, newly employed, fully qualified, and
otherwise qualified numbers.
Vacant positions are the number of personnel required to fill funded positions and should not reflect the
number of additional personnel desired.
For Section A, Special Education Teachers Employed to provide special education to children aged 3
through 5, report the number of preschool teachers, itinerant/consulting teachers, and home/hospital
teachers employed for children with disabilities in this age group. This count should include teachers of
children with disabilities in separate schools and facilities. Do not include regular preschool teachers who
work with children with disabilities.
For Section B, Special Education Teachers Employed to provide special education to children and youth
aged 6 to 21, report the number of separate classes, resource room teachers, inclusion classroom
teachers, itinerant/consulting teachers, and home/hospital teachers employed for children and youth with
disabilities in this age group. This count should include teachers of children with disabilities in separate
schools and facilities. Do not include regular teachers who work with children and youth with disabilities.
For Section C, Other Special Education and Related Services Personnel, report the number of FTE other
special education/related services personnel, by type of personnel employed, to provide special education
and related services for children and youth with disabilities aged 3 to 21. Note that the number of speech
pathologists employed has been included in this section, as well as paraeducators.
Instructions for forms:
1484A and B Special Education Students Suspended/Expelled
Due to OSPI:
07/01/05
SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS SUSPENSION/EXPULSION
REPORT PURPOSE AND INSTRUCTIONS
Purpose:
Federal and state special education regulations require that school districts provide information regarding
the numbers and types of special education students who were suspended/expelled during the school
year. These reports cover the entire school year and include special education students aged 3 to 21. All
school districts are required to submit these data reports.
For this data collection, count only out-of-school suspensions. For suspensions of one-half day or less,
count as one-half day. For suspensions of more than one-half day to one full day, count as one day.
This collection covers the entire school year, for reporting purposes a student's age is determined as of
their age on the federal child count date (December 1).
Template download instructions:
To download templates go to http://www.k12.wa.us/SpecialEd/forms.aspx and choose the Special
Education Students Suspended/Expelled form link. Click the link once and save the template to a
folder on your computer. Then open the saved template with Excel, choose „enable macros‟ to
ensure the complete functionality of the forms. Do not start entering data until the template is saved to
your computer and opened with Excel otherwise the data entered will not be saved. After the data
is completely entered and saved then attached that excel template to an email and send to
grummick@ospi.wednet.edu by July 1, 2005. Data cannot be submitted through the OSPI website,
only by an email attachment. Any forms submitted containing red highlighted cells will not be
accepted and returned for corrections. An email will be sent to districts confirming receipt of
error-free files. Keep a copy of the email for your files.
Collection Instructions:
In Section A, columns 1, 2, and 3, school districts must report the number of special education students
aged 3 to 21 years by disability category. In Section B, school districts must report the number of special
education students aged 3 to 21 years by race/ethnicity categories defined in this bulletin. The total
number of students reported in Section A should equal the number of students reported in Section B.
Districts must submit a report even if they had no incidents or no special education students enrolled.
In column 1A, provide an unduplicated count of special education students aged 3 to 21 who were
unilaterally removed for drug or weapons offenses (as defined in this bulletin) by school personnel (not the
IEP team) from their current educational placement to an interim alternative educational setting
(determined by the IEP team). A student would only be counted once in this column even if they
have been counted more than once in columns 1B or 1C. Column 1A is an unduplicated student
count, whereas Columns 1B and 1C or counts of incidents.
In column 1B, report the total number of times special education students aged 3 to 21 were unilaterally
removed for drug offenses. In column 1C, report the total number of times special education students
aged 3 to 21 were unilaterally removed for weapons offenses. If, in the course of a single incident, a
special education student committed both a drug offense and a weapon offense, report the drug
offense in column 1B and report the weapon offense in column 1C.
A special education student may be counted more than once in columns 1B and/or 1C but not 1A.
In column 2, report the total number of special education students aged 3 to 21, who were removed to an
interim alternative education setting based on an Administrative Law Judge determination of likely injury.
Provide an unduplicated count of special education students removed. This will involve an expedited due
process hearing (these numbers will likely be small.) A student would only be counted once in this column
even if multiple removals by an ALJ occurred during the reporting period.
In column 3A, provide an unduplicated count of special education students aged 3 to 21 who were
suspended or expelled for more than 10 days during the school year for any offense or combination of
offenses including weapons or drugs. Include only out-of-school suspensions for this data collection.
In column 3B, report the number of times (count of incidents) special education students aged 3 to 21
were subject to a single suspension or expulsion of more than 10 days. A special education student may
be counted more than once in column 3B.
In column 3C, report the number of special education students aged 3 to 21 (count of students) who were
subject to multiple short-term suspensions summing to more than 10 days. A special education student
may only be counted once in 3C. Include only out-of-school suspensions for this data collection.
Column 3A will be equal to, or less than, the sum of columns 3B plus 3C. Column 3A is an
unduplicated count of students, whereas Column 3B is a count of incidents. Column 3C is a count
of both the student and the incident, but count a student only once in this column.
The number reported in each column of Grand Totals of section A (disability category) should equal each
column of Grand Totals of section B (race/ethnicity category).
A special education student should be counted in only one column (1, 2, or 3) for each offense. A
special education student who is counted in column 1 for unilateral removal to an interim
alternative educational setting should not be counted again in column 3 for the same removal.
Similarly, a special education student who is removed for likely injury in column 2 should not be
counted again in column 3 for the same removal.
Many districts are unsure if tobacco or cigarettes are considered a controlled substance and if they should
be counted under column 1. Districts need to remember what steps they would take with a student who
was not receiving special education and treat the special education student in the same manner. Most
districts did not consider it a drug violation but a school code of conduct violation. If special education
students are suspended under code of conduct for a certain amount of days then column 3 may apply,
depending on the duration of the suspension.
For more information on the discipline of special education students, please refer to Technical Assistance
Paper (TAP) No. 2, “Discipline Procedures Under IDEA Regulations,” published by OSPI Special
Education in June 1999.
To report a special education student‟s race/ethnicity, please use only one of the categories defined by the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) below.
American Indian/Alaska Native: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and
South America (including Central America) and who maintains cultural identification through tribal
affiliation or community attachment.
Asian: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian
subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the
Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Black or African American, Non-Hispanic: A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of
Africa.
Hispanic or Latino: A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other
Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.
Caucasian or White: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or
North Africa.
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of
Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.
Of more than one race or Multiracial: A person of multiple race categories.
Not Provided: A person who has chosen not to provide information. Note: According to federal
requirements, OSPI must report a race/ethnicity code for each student, if the district does not provide,
OSPI will, using a formula based on the district population.
Terms and how they are used within this data collected are provided below.
Terms Use of Terms in This Data Collection Source (Federal or
State)
Interim alternative An appropriate setting determined by the special education 34 CFR 300.522(a)
educational setting student‟s IEP team in which the student is placed for no more
than 45 days. This setting enables the student to continue to
progress in the general curriculum; to continue to receive the 34 CFR 300.521(d)
services and modifications, including those in the student‟s
current IEP; and meet the goals set out in that IEP. This
setting includes services and modifications to address the 34 CFR
problem behavior and to prevent the behavior from recurring. 300.522(b)(1) and (2)
Removal by an Those instances in which an administrative law judge orders 34 CFR 300.521
administrative law judge the removal of special education students from their current
(ALJ) educational placement to an appropriate interim alternative
setting for not more than 45 days based on the ALJ‟s
determination that the public agency (usually the school
district) has demonstrated by substantial evidence that
maintaining the student's current placement is substantially
likely to result in injury to the student or others.
Unilateral removal Instances in which school personnel (not the IEP team) order Nonregulatory
the removal of special education students from their current definition developed
educational placement to an appropriate interim alternative by OSEP for data
educational setting for the same amount of time that students collection.
without disabilities would be subject to discipline but not for
more than 45 days. (The IEP team IS responsible for
determining the interim alternative education setting but the
unilateral removals do NOT include decisions by the IEP
team to change a student‟s placement.)
Weapon offenses The student carries or possesses a weapon to or at school, Nonregulatory
on school premises, or to a school function under the definition developed
jurisdiction of a state or a local educational agency. by OSEP for data
collection.
Dangerous Weapon A weapon, device, instrument, material, or substance, 18 U.S.C. §812
animate or inanimate, that is used for, or is readily capable of
causing death or serious bodily injury, except that such a
term does not include a pocket knife with a blade of less than
2 1/2 inches in length.
Drug Offenses The use, possession, sale, or solicitation of drugs as Nonregulatory
identified in 21 USC §812. These offenses do not include definition developed
use, possession, sale or solicitation of alcohol or tobacco. by OSEP for data
collection.