Canton Local Schools

Section 504 is a federal law of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that prohibits discrimination against individuals with a disability in any program receiving federal assistance. The district has specific responsibilities under this act, which include the responsibility to identify, evaluate, and if the child has a current disability and is termed to be eligible under Section 504, to afford access to appropriate educational programs.

Section 504 defines a person with a disability as anyone who has a "mental or physical impairment which substantially limits a "...major life function." A major life function includes activities such as caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and working. Contact your child’s school counselor if you feel your child has a serious impairment that would affect a major life function that affects their academic experience.

Section 504 is a federal law of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that prohibits discrimination against individuals with a disability in any program receiving federal assistance. The district has specific responsibilities under this act, which include the responsibility to identify, evaluate, and if the child has a current disability and is termed to be eligible under Section 504, to afford access to appropriate educational programs.

Section 504 defines a person with a disability as anyone who has a "mental or physical impairment which substantially limits a "...major life function." A major life function includes activities such as caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and working. Contact your child’s school counselor if you feel your child has a serious impairment that would affect a major life function that affects their academic experience.

Child Find is the process of identifying, locating, and evaluating children with disabilities (age birth–21) who may be in need of special education and related services.

• To alert parents, professionals, and the public to children who may have disabilities

• To assist school officials in finding children who may have disabilities

• To enable children and families to receive the special education and related services that are needed

What Does a Disability Mean?

• Age birth to 3: An established condition known to result in delay, or documented developmental delay

• Age 3–5: A documented deficit in one or more of the following—communication, vision, hearing, motor skills, social-emotional/behavioral functioning, self-help skills, and/or cognitive skills

• Age 5–21: Identification of one or more of the following—autism, deaf-blindness, hearing impairment, orthopedic or other health impairment, emotional disturbance, specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, cognitive disability

What If You Know of a Child Who May Have a Disability?

Please contact Canton Local's Special Services Department at 330-484-8022. The school district will contact parents to find out if the child needs to be evaluated. Free testing is available for families to determine whether or not a special need exists. If a need is identified, the child can begin receiving the appropriate special education and related services.

School Psychologists

• Sydney Masters, School Psychologist

• Margaret Herceg, School Psychologist

Preschool Age Children (ages 3-5) who have been identified as having moderate to severe developmental delays in the areas of communication, motor, adaptive behavior, social-emotional, vision, hearing, or cognitive skills. A child who is at least 3 years of age and not yet 6 years of age who meets the definition of a child with a disability or, at the choice of the school district, is a child who is (a) experiencing developmental delays in one of more of the following areas: physical development, cognitive development, communication development, social or emotional development, or adaptive development and (b) who, because of it, needs special education and related services.

School Age (ages 6-21) students who have been identified as having one of the following disability conditions:

• Autism
• Intellectual Disability
• Deaf-Blindness
• Deafness
• Emotional Disturbance
• Hearing Impairment
• Multiple Disabilities
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Other Health Impairment
• Specific Learning Disability
• Speech or Language Impairment
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Visual Impairment

To comply with federal and state law, the school district is required to inform residents about various programs, policies, and procedures.

Annual Notices