Referral Process
Referring a student to Lakes Country Academy must involve the district's Special Education Director, as enrollment in LCA is an out of district placement. Once a school district's Special Education Director is in agreement to make a referral, the process to proceed begins with the student's IEP team approval and parent/guardian permission to change the child's setting to a more restrictive federal setting IV. Consideration should be made carefully, especially if transportation to Lakes Country Academy might present a tolerance and/or safety issue for the student, driver, and/or other students in the vehicle. Referral paperwork must be signed by the Special Education Director of the referring district to be considered
Specific steps and criteria for referral are outlined in the Referral Information linked below.
To make a referral, the Referral Form (linked below) must be fully completed and emailed (with supporting documents) per instructions outlined in the Referral Information.
*The usual timeline from submitting a referral to acceptance/denial and finally enrollment is typically approximately 4 weeks (20 school days) or longer. Decision timeline on the student's acceptance (and subsequent start date) depends upon the thoroughness of the referral paperwork with supporting documentation submitted by the referring district, scheduling observations conducted by LCA staff, intake meetings scheduled with parent/guardian, the district's ability to coordinate appropriate transportation, and staffing available to accommodate the student's needs at the LCA.
The LCA Referral team meets weekly on Mondays only and referrals are due by the Wednesday before to be reviewed at Monday's referral meeting. Referrals that are submitted after May 15 (approximate) are NOT considered/reviewed until August 31 (approximate) and enrollment, if accepted, may not occur until approximately October 1st.