NC Education Code · NC Policy Manual
NC 1505-3.2 Annual Report of Children Served--Information Required in the Report
Plain English summary
This regulation establishes requirements for LEAs and SEAs to conduct an annual December 1 child count of students with disabilities receiving special education and related services, as required under IDEA section 618. It specifies how children with multiple disabilities must be categorized, eligibility criteria for the count, and explains how the December 1 count and a separate April 1 count are used to generate federal and state funding respectively.
Key requirements
- The LEA and SEA must count and report the number of children with disabilities receiving special education and related services on December 1 of each year.
- For the purpose of this reporting provision, a child's age is the child's actual age on the date of the child count.
- The LEA and SEA may not report a child under more than one disability category.
- If a child has only two disabilities and those disabilities are deafness and blindness, and the child is not reported as having a developmental delay, that child must be reported under the category 'deaf-blindness.'
- A child who has more than one disability and is not reported as having deaf-blindness or as having a developmental delay must be reported under the category 'multiple disabilities.'
- To be eligible for counting on December 1, a child must be enrolled in a special education program in a school or program which is operated/supported by a public agency which meets State Board of Education standards in Policies Governing Services for Children with Disabilities.
- To be eligible for counting on December 1, a child must be receiving special education (free appropriate public education) and related services (when appropriate) on December 1.
- To be eligible for counting on December 1, a child must be properly identified as a child with a disability; be placed in a class/program by the IEP Team or Preschool IEP Team; attain the third birthday; and be no older than age 21 at the start of the school year.
- Preschool children with disabilities are included in the April 1 child count for state funding purposes.
- State funding for preschool children with disabilities is determined by the April 1 child count, plus a base-funding amount for each local education agency.
Affected parties
- Local Education Agencies (LEAs)
- State Education Agency (SEA)
- Children with disabilities ages 3 through 21
- Preschool children with disabilities (ages 3 through 5)
- IEP Teams
- Preschool IEP Teams