Pulaski County Special School District’s mission is to provide equity and excellence for all students through rigorous college and career readiness instructional strategies.

The Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD) adheres to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which requires that each state provide a free appropriate public education for all eligible children with disabilities. Public agencies are to comply with Federal and State Child Find requirements through locating and identifying all children and youth in the state from birth to 21 years of age who are possibly in need of early intervention or special education and related services. Child Find is an ongoing cooperative effort that must involve state and local education agencies, parents, the community, professionals, related organizations, and private schools. This involvement is based on the premise that parents and public agency personnel, working cooperatively, can successfully locate and identify children in need of early intervention or special education and related services. The collection and use of data to meet the requirements of Child Find are subject to the confidentiality requirements of IDEA. Know your rights under the IDEA (en español)

Child Find applies to children who are:

• Attending private school

• Highly mobile, including migrant children

• Suspected of having a disability even though they are advancing from grade to grade

• Homeless or a ward of the state

For school-age children, referrals for special education services are to made in writing to the school in which the child is enrolled to the principal and/or principal’s designee. Contact your child’s school for more information.

For children enrolled in a preschool program or ages 3-5, contact the district’s early childhood special education department at 501.234.2436 or complete this form.

For students enrolled or attending a parentally-placed private school or homeschool, contact the district’s special education department at 501.234.2436 or via online form. If the child attends a parentally-placed private school located outside of the PCSSD attendance zone, contact the local educational agency or school district in which the parentally-placed private school is located.

Help for Infants and Toddlers Children ages birth to three years old are screened through Arkansas First Connections. Learn more at dhs.arkansas.gov/dds/firstconnectionsweb/#fc-home or call 1.800.643.8258.

Eligibility Criteria and Program Guidelines for Children with Disabilities

• Medicaid in the Schools Program and Information

• Apply for Medicaid or ARKids First

For further guidance and questions, please contact the District’s Special Education Department at 501.234.2436.