Pioneer Technology & Arts Academy
Leading the Future of Charter Education Worldwide
PTAA Charter schools are public schools of choice: parents select the school their child attends. Families and community members are welcomed in charter schools and are treated as partners in their child’s education.
As public schools, charter schools are required to enroll and serve students with disabilities in the same manner as traditional public schools. Because charter schools are designed to offer innovative educational strategies, they are uniquely situated to provide individualized support to meet the needs of students with disabilities and other unique challenges.
Pioneer Technology & Arts Academy ensures that all children residing within the PTAA boundaries who have disabilities, regardless of the severity of their disabilities, and who are in need of special education and related services are identified, located, and evaluated. This requirement applies to:
Students with physical or mental disabilities may face academic hurdles for a variety of reasons, but parents can take advantage of federal laws to help ensure their children’s special needs are met. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures that a student found to be eligible for special education services receives an individual education plan (IEP) determined by an Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) Committee. The student shall be provided a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE).
If a student is experiencing learning difficulties, the parent may contact Jennifer Cayce, Special Populations Director/Educational Diagnostician, at 15720 Hillcrest Rd., Dallas, TX, 75248, 469-405-8967 ext 2238 to learn about PTAA's general education referral or screening system for support services. At any time, a parent is entitled to request an evaluation for special education services by presenting a written request to PTAA, Attn: Jennifer Cayce.
Section 504 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is designed to help parents of students with physical or mental impairments in public schools, or publicly funded private schools, work with educators to design customized educational plans. These 504 plans legally ensure that students will be treated fairly at school. PTAA provides necessary accommodations to students with disabilities that are not severe enough to qualify them for special education, but which nevertheless are substantially limiting their learning or other major life activities.
From time to time, students may be tested and, when appropriate, treated for dyslexia and related disorders in accordance with programs, rules, and standards approved by the state. Parents will be notified should PTAA determine a need to identify or assess their student for dyslexia and related disorders.
For students who are Limited English Proficient (LEP), PTAA shall provide all required supportive instruction with the goal of full proficiency in the English language and early exit. PTAA shall comply with applicable federal and state laws including Title VI of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 (as amended), the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974, the requirements of Texas Education Code (TEC) Chapter 29 Subchapter B, and Title 19 of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §§ 89.1201-.1265.
A gifted/talented student is a child or youth who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment and who: