Parent Resources

Kent ISD is proud to provide special education services and materials to not only our schools and educators, but also directly to the family members and caregivers. Below are links to documents, events and other websites and resources that you may find helpful.

Parent Guides

A Parent's Guide to Navigating Section 504 The Kent ISD Special Education Department, in collaboration with a countywide Section 504 Committee, has developed A Parent's Guide to Navigating Section 504 to make the Section 504 process more manageable and user-friendly for parents. This document provides an overview of the Section 504 evaluation and eligibility process. Download the Parent's Guide to Navigating Section 504

Navigating the IEP Process The Kent ISD Special Education Department, in collaboration with the Parent Advisors for Special Education (PASE), has developed the Parent's Guide to Navigating the IEP Process to make the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process more manageable and user-friendly for parents. Download the Parent's Guide to Navigating the IEP Process

Una guia de parades para navegar el proceso del IEP

Guia para parades sobre como navegar la Seccion 504

Parent and Student Handbooks

Special Education Parent Handbook with Procedural Safeguards This handbook was developed for parents of students with disabilities. It serves as one source of information about state and federal laws that have been written to protect the rights of special education students. Download the Special Education Parent Handbook with Procedural Safeguards

Student Rights Handbook In Michigan, the age of majority is 18 years of age. This handbook has been developed for you because you are within a year of turning 18 years old, or you have reached the age of majority and are now in charge of your education. More...

Family Resource Guide

This Special Education Family Resource Online Guide was created in addition to the Kent ISD Parent Guides to support you as caregivers in obtaining the necessary resources within Kent County to assist in supporting your child from birth to adulthood. We strongly believe that having access to relevant resources can empower you as families to pursue all avenues in support of growth and success for your children and families. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list and will be updated periodically.

District Special Education Links

Are you searching for your district's Special Education Department? Here are links to all of the Kent ISD District pages and charter academies information:

National Heritage Academies - Special Education Policy Manual

Charter and Non-Public Schools of Kent County

Parent Advisors for Special Education (PASE)

Our Mission:

PASE is a parent driven forum to positively impact the educational opportunities for children with special needs through collaboration and dissemination of information.

PASE Will:

serve as a resource for information to expand your knowledge
communicate up-to-date changes and trends to the educational system
improve parents' knowledge of the educational system
provide points of contact for service organizations and support groups
offer opportunities and workshops to learn how to assist in the educational process
provide an arena for feedback from parents

You're invited to Participate:

PASE meets four to five times a year at 6:30 pm on a Monday at the Kent ISD Educational Services Center (see schedule for updates on in-person or virtual meetings). You'll find us at 2930 Knapp NE near the corner of Knapp and Beltline, just north of I-96 (click here for a map).

Contact us at the Educational Services Center, Special Education Services, phone: 616.365.2297or email: lorimatthews@kentisd.org.

2024-25 Meeting Schedule

Monday, October 7, 6:30 p.m. - Kent ISD Educational Service Center, 2930 Knapp NE
Monday, November 25, 6:30 p.m. - Virtual
Monday, February 3, 6:30 p.m. - Virtual
Monday, April 21, 6:30 p.m. - Virtual

PASE Meeting Agendas & Minutes

Here Comes the Bus

Here Comes the Bus: A School Bus Tracking App for Families

GPS school bus tracking technology is available to all parents and guardians of Kent ISD special education students who ride Dean Transportation buses. This free service provides families with the ability to track the location of their students’ buses in real-time, either on a computer or a mobile device. Participation is optional.

Tracking Features:

Shows the real-time location of your child’s bus on a map
Gives scheduled and actual arrival times at home and school for bus routes
Provides push and email notifications when the bus is near

App Intro Video

Sign Up Instructions for Parents:

Download the "Here Comes the Bus" app or visit herecomesthebus.com
Click the "Sign Up" button.
Enter school code 29983 and click "Next" followed by "Confirm."
Complete the "User Profile" box.
Under "My Students" click "Add." Enter your child's last name (up to 14 characters including a hyphen or a space) and student ID number.
Once you confirm your information, you're ready to begin.

FAQ

Here Comes The Bus is an easy-to-use website and app that enables parents to see the location of their child’s school bus. The app also features multilingual technology, supporting English, French, and Spanish. Click on the image to view the FAQ document.

MiPSE Parent Portal

We are excited to announce that we now offer online access to MiPSE (Michigan PowerSchool Special Education) to view your child’s finalized educational documents.

Click here to view the brochure for more information.