Special Education

The Special Education Department of the East Tallahatchie School District offers a wide range of programs to meet the individual needs of students. Eligible students are served as young as three and up to twenty-one years of age. Our schools offer programs to serve students who need extended instructional time in a special education settings.

The following resource programs are offered in all our schools:

Speech therapy
Occupational therapy
Physical therapy

Student identification procedures, achievement testing, programming instructions and flexible scheduling require the participation of all school personnel. As the district strives to recognize and enhance the potential of all students with disabilities, it becomes necessary not only to identify unserved students but also to maintain program continuity and coordination with regular education in order to provide appropriate instruction.

PUBLIC NOTICE: The East Tallahatchie School District is participating in an ongoing effort to identify, locate and evaluate children birth through twenty-one years of age who may have disabilities and need early intervention, special education, and/ or related services. Child find is an ongoing process of public awareness activities and evaluations to ensure children with special needs can receive the help they need to succeed as early as possible.

Anyone concerned about a child’s speech, learning, behavior, or development can make a Child Find request. A multidisciplinary evaluation team will meet with the family within 14 days to decide if an evaluation is needed. If so, written permission from the child’s parent is required before an evaluation is conducted.

A multidisciplinary evaluation is individualized to the child’s needs. The valuation could involve a series of observations and tests with the child and interviews with parents, teachers, and/or caregivers. Evaluations for special education and/or related services will be conducted by two or more specialists such as a speech language pathologist, psychometrist, school psychologist, or special educator. A written summary of this evaluation will be provided to the family and a meeting will be held to determine if the child needs special education and/or related services.

For children birth through two years of age, contact the Tallahatchie County Health Department at 662-647-3404. For a child three to twenty-one years of age, contact

Lori Criswell
District Psychometrist & Case Manager
662-647-3720

Information received through the Child Find process is protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

The Child Find mandate, set forth by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), requires school districts to identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities from age 3-21.

Anyone who has identified a child from 3-21 who may be effected by a disability — including behavior, development, and hearing or vision loss — may contact the Tallahatchie County Health Department office to request an evaluation. Our team of specialists are equipped to conduct a multidisciplinary evaluation to determine the natures of the child’s disability and which services may be rendered to assist with the child’s education.

Contact ETSD Special Education Department at 662-647-5524.

If you have identified a child, age 0-2, who has a disability and requires special services, please contact the Tallahatchie County Health Department at 662-647-3404.

The Department of Exceptional Children

Meet Our Team

Child Find Process

How To Refer A Child

Eligibility for Services

Policies and Procedures