FHSD creates action plan following Ohio Department of Education on-site review:

The Forest Hills School District is always focused on providing students with the opportunity and space to feel empowered to engage and excel. With this goal in mind, the district recently created a comprehensive action plan following feedback from the Ohio Department of Education Office for Exceptional Children (OEC). 

FHSD was randomly selected by OEC to participate in a comprehensive on-site review that began in March 2019. The review included interviews with staff members and administrators, comments from parents, and the review of 27 Evaluation Team Reports (ETRs) including Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), as well as 10 IEP verification observations.

During this process, OEC consultants monitored the district’s implementation of IDEA, which is a 

federal law specific to educating children with disabilities. The focus of the review is to improve educational results and outcomes for students with disabilities, which is a priority for the district. 

Feedback the district received from OEC is related to ensuring processes, procedures, and paperwork are compliant. As such, Forest Hills worked closely with OEC to develop an action plan to guarantee the district is meeting requirements and that each student is empowered to succeed every day. 

The plan includes:

Implementation of online learning tools, on-site training and technical assistance to provide guidance for staff to complete required ETR and IEP forms.

Continuation of building-specific, on-site training related to IEP goal development, progress monitoring and compliance. 

Creation of internal monitoring teams to review district documents systemically. This team will be trained and functioning by fall 2019.

Continuation and refinement of the District Transition Committee, which focuses on guidance for students transitioning to postsecondary opportunities.

Review of resources and guidance specific to educating parents, staff, and community on the special education process. 

OEC complimented the quality of guidance the district provides to its case coordinators and intervention specialists, including how to target student needs and develop goals. Further, the district was commended for the development of a systematic framework (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support) to support all students academically and behaviorally.  

The district began implementation of its action plan on August 1, 2019 and will conduct ongoing follow up with the OEC as part of the review process. 

Forest Hills School District is committed to helping all children reach their full potential, and we are grateful for the opportunity to work with OEC to create and implement a specific plan to better serve students. 

If you have any questions, please contact your child’s building principal or Betsy Ryan, Director of Teaching and Learning, at betsyryan@foresthills.edu.