WWW.NC.GOV
(North Carolina State Government Homepage)

WWW.NCDHHS.GOV
(NC Depart. of Health & Human Services Homepage)

 

THE GOVERNOR MOREHEAD SCHOOL

Home | Administration | About GMS | OES | Preschool | Instructional Services |
Student Life | Outreach | Teacher Links | Programs | Human Resources | Contact Us | Disclaimer

Adobe Acrobat Reader | Graphics Pages

Instructional Services
Accountability | Admissions | Athletics | Expanded Core Curriculum | Fine Arts | Support Services | Transition


Admissions


The Governor Morehead School serves all students with visual loss throughout the state of North Carolina. Application for admission to the Governor Morehead School may only come through the child's local public school system (LEA) as a referral through the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process. When a residential school receives an inquiry from parents, legal guardians, a physician, or other interested parties, notification will be given to the student's local school system. If the IEP team decides a referral is appropriate, then a completed application for admission packet will be submitted to the residential school director. (It is recommended that a representative from the residential school be invited to attend any IEP meeting where a referral is being considered, so that, they may provide information and answer questions.)

A completed application for admission packet should include:

  1. A completed application form.


  2. A letter from the referring school describing the present status of the child, the reason for referral and a detailed description of the services currently as well as previously provided. If a child does not have a family permanently committed to him then a permanency plan from DSS needs to be included and a visiting resource/placement identified.


  3. A current IEP. June 4, 2008tional Children's Procedures for Governing Programs and Services for Children with Disabilities that are current within three years.


  4. A signed consent for release of information from child's legal guardian, which allows access to agencies and school programs that can provide relevant educational information. (Proof of guardianship is required if this is not the child's parent.)


  5. A current psychological assessment (may be requested).

Completed packets should be sent to the director's office at the individual schools.

In addition to the application packet, the residential admission committee may ask to conduct a school observation as part of the decision making process and/or request the student and their parents to visit the residential campus.

Within 10 days of receipt of a complete referral packet, the referring LEA will be notified of the decision relative to the appropriateness of the student's referral for admission.

If accepted, the parent will also be notified and the process of admission will begin as soon as possible. Actual enrollment date is contingent upon receipt of complete records from the LEA and complete registration information from the parent (medical release, etc.). A recommendation for placement should also be received from the child's IEP team (Dec 5.) prior to enrollment.

LEAs are expected to work closely with the residential school staff during the enrollment of their students in our programs and will be invited to all IEP team meetings.

Temporary placements:

An LEA may request a temporary 30 day assessment to ascertain the most appropriate placement for a student. Consent for evaluation and an application package will need to be completed prior to locating a child on campus. During the temporary location, the residential school will conduct formal and informal observations and assessments to determine the needs of the student. An IEP team meeting will be convened following the assessment to determine placement recommendation. If a residential placement is recommended, then the admissions committee will consider the student for immediate admission.

Eligibility Criteria:

In order for a child to be considered for admission to the Governor Morehead School for the Blind, s/he must meet the eligibility criteria for a primary disability of VI or Deaf-Blindness as defined in NC Procedures Governing Programs and Services for Children with Disabilities. A concomitant disability will not exclude an individual from consideration.

Children who have a significant medical problem which is beyond the capability of the school's health center and/or cannot function without extensive nursing care and/or would present a safety concern in congregate care facilities, will not be considered for admission.


Contact the GMS Webmaster with questions or comments.

Last Modified: June 4, 2008