Special Education/EIS

All states and territories must provide early intervention services to children who have, or are at risk for having, developmental delays, from birth to their third birthday.

Most CONUS locations, local school districts or health departments provide these early intervention services. The program is called different names in different areas, but it is often referred to as Part C because that is the section of the law that pertains to early intervention. The Education Directory for Children with Special Needs has a list of resources specific to each state to help you determine who you should contact. Your installation EFMP Family Support provider can also answer your questions.

If you are moving OCONUS or to a CONUS location with a DODEA school (and you live on installation), your child will receive EIS through the Defense Department’s Educational and Developmental Intervention Services, or EDIS, program.

When moving, you should hand carry copies of your child's most current individual family service plan, or IFSP, and the most current evaluation reports to your new home to ensure they are not lost.

All states and territories provide special education and related services to eligible children between the ages of 3 through 21.

When a child transfers to a different district in the same state, the new school must provide a free, appropriate public education, including comparable services, until the previously held IEP is adopted or a new one is developed and implemented. When a child transfers to another state, the receiving school must provide comparable services until an IEP review can determine if a new evaluation or IEP is appropriate.

If you are moving and your child receives special education and related services, you should hand carry all necessary school and medical documents, including the most current IEP and current evaluation reports. Hand carrying these documents ensures that they are not lost and allows the new school to begin the process as soon as you arrive.

• Education Directory for Children with Special Needs
• EFMP & Me digital tool
• Individualized Education Program & Moving
• Special Needs Parent Toolkit
• Special Needs Resources
• Exceptional Family Member Program videos

Special education students and those who have other special needs will be warmly received in our schools. Free appropriate public education will be offered to all eligible students. Every reasonable measure will be taken to expedite a student's appropriate special education class placement. To do this, it will be critical that all proper documents from the student's previous school or clinic be available for the school staff to review. This includes the current Individual Educational Plan (IEP).

The school/district will honor special education certification of students granted by their former school district on an interim basis. Current records will be reviewed and further evaluation may be conducted and applied to Hawaii's eligibility criteria.

Students are required to attend classes in their school attendance area unless special needs dictate other services/and or placement. Transportation will be available for all special education students who are district placed in schools other than in their regular attendance area. Request for transportation may be for those who are not special education certified, but who require assistance due to their special needs.

Parents are advised to contact their child's school upon arrival to the District. For any inquiry on special education, parents may also contact the Central Oahu School District Office, Special Education Student Support at 808-622-6425

We are obligated to provide students a free and appropriate education. Multi-disciplinary child study teams conduct comprehensive diagnostic services to determine eligibility for special education services. Eligibility from the previous school district will be honored until an evaluation can be completed.

The State of Hawaii serves children with special learning conditions or special needs in the public school system. Among these conditions are:

• Mild, Moderate, Severe, and Profound Mental Retardation
• Specific Learning Disabilities
• Blindness or Partial Sight
• Deafness or Hearing Impairments
• Other Health Impairments
• Autism
• Speech Impairments

Important Registration Documents

A student's special education documents should be presented when registering at the local school. For efficient registration and placement, complete records are required. Documents which families are requested to provide include:

• The Individual Educational Plan (IEP)
• Intelligence test scores/profiles
• Academic/Achievement test scores/profiles
• Speech/Language evaluations
• Physical/Occupation Therapy reports
• Medical/Development data
• Psychiatric/Psychological reports

Central District works closely with the Department of Health as well as with military installations: Hickam, Pearl Harbor, Schofield and Wheeler clinics, Tripler Army Medical Center and Family Services Centers. When necessary, diagnosis team members meet with clinic personnel and other medical agencies to review the needs of medically involved students (i.e., pan-hypopituitarism, tracheostomies, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, colostomies, head or spinal cord injury, etc.) For more information, call Central District Special Services at 808-622-6432.