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Special Education

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Department of Special Education

  • The St. Mary's County Public Schools (SMCPS) is responsible for providing a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to students with disabilities from birth through the age of 21 regardless of the severity of their disability.
  • Parents and/or guardians shall be provided a verbal and written explanation of their Parental Rights: Maryland Procedural Safeguards Notice and a Parents' Guide to Habilitative Services.
  • Students typically receive instruction in the general education classroom with the necessary accommodations and adaptations provided by the general and special education staff.
  • Decisions regarding the placement of a child with a disability is in consultation with the parents or guardians of the child and consistent with the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA).

To Whom It May Concern:
Records for children who were enrolled in the St. Mary’s County Infants and Toddlers
Program and were born from September 2012 through October 2017 and exited the Infants and Toddlers Program on or before December 31, 2017, will be eliminated from the file library of the St. Mary’s County Public Schools. If your child falls into this category and you wish to obtain a copy of the record or have questions regarding this process, please contact the St. Mary’s County Infants and Toddlers Program at 301-475-5511 x32223.
Records will be removed from the file library on March 15, 2024 and will be destroyed at that time.