Who is Responsible for Child Find?

According to Parents Rights in Special Education (Procedural Safeguards) distributed by South Carolina's Office of Exceptional Children at the State Department of Education, they have put policies and procedures in place to ensure that all children with disabilities residing in the State, including children with disabilities atttending public or private schools, are home schooled; are highly mobile, including migrant and homeless; or are wards of the State, and who are in need of special education and related services are identified, located, and evaluated. Local school districts are required to conduct ongoing public notice, screening, general education interventions, and evaluation to ensure that chidlren from birth to age 5 with disabillities, and children from kindergarten through age 21 with disabilites are identified appropriately. For children of school age attending a private elmentary or secondary school, the district in which the private shcool is located is responsible for child find for children who are residents and non-residents of the district who may be attending the private school. For preschoolers, the school district where the child resides is responsible for child find, even if the child attends preschool or child care in another district. This responsibility to conduct child find efforts for children from birth through age 2 is shared with the Part C Infant-Toddler program.