• Student Services

    Welcome to Student Services. The goal of Student Services is to eliminate or minimize barriers to student success in order that all students graduate college and are career ready. We provide a variety of supports to ensure students’ academic, behavioral, and social-emotional success in school. In addition, we manage enrollment in the district as well as state and federal reporting requirements and student information.

    The Student Services Office is located at 801 Old Harshman Rd. Riverside, OH 45431.  Office hours are from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday. 

    The Student Services Department includes: 

    • Registration
    • Address Changes
    • Student Custodial and Legal Changes
    • ESL
    • Special Transfer Requests
    • Discipline and Expulsion Hearings 
    • Early Entrance to Kindergarten
    • Home Schooling 
    • Preschool
    • Special Education

    Child Find

    The Mad River School District seeks to locate, identify, and evaluate all children with a disability, from infants to age 21, based upon IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) eligibility, regardless of the severity of their disability, and who are in need of special education and related services. Students are identified, located, and evaluated in accordance with all federal regulations and state guidelines. This includes children attending private or parochial schools whose parents reside within the Mad River School District enrollment area.

    For children, birth through age two, a disability means that a child has a deficit in one or more of the following areas: behavior, cognition, communication, physical development, sensory development, or social/emotional development. For children ages three through five years of age, a disability means the child has a documented deficit in one or more of the following areas: communication skills, hearing abilities, motor functioning, cognition, social-emotional/behavior functioning, or vision abilities.

    For school-age students, a disability means a student has one or more disabilities such as autism, impairments related to hearing (deafness or hearing impaired), vision (blindess or visually impaired), orthopedic impairment, emotional/behavior impairment, specific learning disability, traumatic brain injury, or speech and language impairment. 

    Additionally, it is the intent of the district to ensure that students who are disabled within the definition of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are evaluated, identified, and served.  Section 504 disabilities are mental or physical impairments, or a history of such impairments, that “substantially limit one or more major life activities.”

    If you know of a child with a suspected disability, please contact Student Services at (937) 259-6603.

    Students with a Disability

    The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Public Law No. 94-142 (IDEA), is legislation that ensures students with a disability are provided a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) that is tailored to their individual needs. The goal of IDEA is to provide children with disabilities the same opportunity for education as those students who do not have a disability.

    Mad River Local Schools offers a continuum of services to students with a disability. Students are instructed in the educational setting that best meets their needs and in the least restrictive environment. Special education supports and services are implemented based on the needs identified in the Evaluation Team Report (ETR) and the goals, objectives, and specially designed instruction outlined in the student's Individualized Education Plan (IEP). 
    A Guide to Parent Rights in Special Education

    Section 504

    The Office of Civil Rights (OCR), a component of the U.S. Department of Education, enforces Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended (Section 504). Section 504 is a civil rights statute which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. OCR also enforces Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Title II), which extends this prohibition against discrimination to the full range of state and local government services, programs, and activities (including public schools) regardless of whether they receive any Federal financial assistance.  

    Section 504 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education. Title II prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by state and local governments. Section 504 and the ADA are antidiscrimination laws and do not provide any type of funding.

    To be protected under Section 504, a student must be determined to: (1) have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; or (2) have a record of such an impairment; or (3) be regarded as having such an impairment. Section 504 requires that school districts provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to qualified students in their jurisdictions who have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities (Office of Civil Rights)

    Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is a federal anti-discrimination law intended to create a level playing field in regular education. It was not created to give unfair advantage. Accommodations must apply only to the named impairment.

    Major life activities include: Caring for one’s self, performing a manual task, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, working, and learning are the nine major life activity areas.

    A record of impairment may include a history of an impairment and/or a diagnosis of assessment of an impairment.

    When the district’s perception of, response to, reaction or attitude toward the student results in treating the student as having an impairment, that the student will be considered handicapped and protected under Section 504.

    Gifted Education

    The Mad River School District follows the Ohio Department of Education’s guidelines for the identification of gifted and talented students. Students are identified as gifted through assessments or referrals.  For a complete list of the District’s assessments given at each grade level as well as criteria for service, please contact Student Services. Students in grades that are not screened may be referred by self, parents or staff members. Referral forms are available in each school office. The District offers a continuum of services including enrichment options to meet the needs of gifted students.

    English Learners

    The District’s English Language Program provides small group instruction to students who need supports in language acquisition.