INTERVENTION AND REFERRAL SERVICES (I&RS)

The Intervention and Referral Services (I&RS) exists to address the various concerns/issues that confront our students. The purpose of this program is to help students, who are experiencing challenges which are interfering with school achievement and success. These difficulties can include problems with academics, health, attendance or behavior. Through the different steps that comprise the I&RS process, these students are directed to appropriate services in the school or community. The I&RS Committee is comprised of an administrator(s), school nurse, Child Study Team member(s), guidance counselor(s), student assistance counselor, and classroom teachers. If initial contact between the teacher and the parent does not result in the anticipated improvement in the areas of concern, a parent-teacher-counselor conference is held. Suggestions are made and interventions are monitored. If the initial interventions are ineffective, then additional strategies will be considered.

Some examples of things that the I&RS team might address are: students who are facing significant illness or disability, students who are having difficulty with class work, students who have had a sudden change in behavior, students who have sporadic attendance in school, and a student who may be suffering from his/her own substance abuse or that of a family member.

The function of the system of intervention and referral services is to:

1.  Identify learning, behavior, and health difficulties of pupils;

2.  Collect thorough information on the identified learning, behavior, and health difficulties;

3.  Develop and implement action plans which provide for appropriate school or community interventions, based on the collected data;

4.   Provide support, guidance, and professional development to school staff who identify learning, behavior, and health difficulties;

5.   Actively involve parents or legal guardians in the development and implementation of intervention and referral services action plans.

6.   Coordinate the access to and delivery of school resources and services for achieving the outcomes identified in the intervention and referral services action plans;

7.   Coordinate the services of community-based social and health provider agencies and other community resources for achieving the outcomes identified in the intervention and referral services action plans;

8.  Review and assess the effectiveness of the provisions of each intervention and referral services action plan in achieving the outcomes identified in each action plan and modify each action plan to achieve the outcomes, as appropriate.