Student Services

Child Find

In accordance with Federal Law, IDEA, and Massachusetts Law 603 CMR28.00 Special Education, the Holliston Public Schools provides special education programs designed to meet the needs of children who are attending not only public schools but also those who are attending private schools at private expense and whose parents reside in Holliston. 

Holliston works to provide all children with an opportunity to participate in public school programs. Holliston Public Schools uses a continuous and systematic effort to identify children in need of special education services, which is outlined below. 

Through Child Find, Holliston Public Schools will arrange for the provision and evaluation of those ages 16 through 21 who have not graduated from high school and who are not attending school or children ages 3 through 21 who are unable to progress effectively in a regular program due to a suspected disability consisting of a developmental delay or an intellectual, sensory, neurological, emotional, communication, physical, specific learning or health impairment or combination thereof. All programs and services are offered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability. 

To begin this process, please contact the Director of Student Services via the phone number or email address below. From there, consent will be generated to evaluate your child, a signature will be required from a parent/guardian. From the date of consent, the district will have 30 school days to complete the evaluation and 45 days from the date of consent to schedule a meeting, review the testing, and determine eligibility. For more information please contact the Office of Student Services at (508) 429-0662 or beattiej@holliston.k12.ma.us 

Procedural Safeguards (PNPS)

Under IDEA 2004 school districts must give this PNPS once per year to all parents of eligible students with disabilities. The Department recommends that school districts identify a specific date each school year when the parents of every eligible student enrolled in the district, including those in out-of-district placements, will be sent a copy of the PNPS. Districts may distribute the PNPS by mail or, if the district makes information available electronically, the parent may choose that option.

The Holliston Public Schools provides the PNPS to all families of Special Education students at the start of each year via email, and it is available in all Student Services Offices in each building, as well as found below on our website.

Parent Procedural Safeguards (updated May 2025)

The changes incorporated into the English version above are available in the language links listed below. If you need another language please contact the Director of Student Services at (508) 429-0662 or beattiej@holliston.k12.ma.us

• Albanian
• Arabic
• Cape Verdean
• Chinese
• French
• Gujarati
• Haitian Creole
• Hmong
• Japanese
• Khmer
• Korean
• Laotian
• Polish
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Somali
• Spanish
• Ukrainian
• Vietnamese

• Massachusetts state law requires all school districts, charter schools, non-public schools,  approved private special education day or residential schools, and collaborative schools to develop and adopt bullying prevention and intervention plans. Plans must meet the requirements of the law and should follow local policies and procedures. Districts and schools must develop the Plan in consultation with teachers, school staff, professional support personnel, school volunteers,  administrators, community representatives, local law enforcement agencies,  students, and parents or guardians.

 Below you will find a link to the Holliston Public Schools Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan. If you have questions please reach out to the Director of Student Services at (508) 429-0662 or beattiej@holliston.k12.ma.us

HPS Bullying Prevention & Intervention Plan

The Holliston Public Schools, in accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, does not discriminate on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, marital status, familial status, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, and prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates, as required by  Title IX, including in admission and employment. 

Inquiries about Title IX may be referred to Holliston Public Schools Title IX Coordinator, the U.S.  Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, or both. The contact information for the  Office of Civil Rights: 

U.S. Department of Education 

Office for Civil Rights 

Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Bldg 

400 Maryland Avenue, SW 

Washington, DC 20202-1100 

Telephone: 800-421-3481 

FAX: 202-453-6012; TDD: 800-877-8339 

Email: OCR@ed.gov 

The contact information for the Holliston Public Schools Title IX Coordinator is:  

Ms. Jessica Beattie, Director of Student Services

370 Hollis Street

Holliston, MA 01746 

beattiej@holliston.k12.ma.us

(508) 429-0662 

Holliston Public Schools nondiscrimination policy and grievance can be found in the link below. To report information about conduct that may constitute sex discrimination or make a complaint of sex discrimination under Title IX please refer to the resource below or contact the Title IX Coordinator. 

• Title IX Grievance Procedures and Process

• The office of Student Services in collaboration with SEPAC worked to create a comprehensive, user-friendly guide to understanding services and resources that the Holliston Public Schools provides.  We hope that you find this guide helpful as you navigate your student (s) educational journey through HPS. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to the Director of Student Services at (508) 429-0662 or beattiej@holliston.k12.ma.us

HPS Student Services Family Guide

• PowerSchool is our Student Management System that houses all student information to include; grades, attendance, health information, demographics, and discipline data.  For elementary families, you will now be able to access your student’s ROSP-Report of Student Progress.  Additionally, if your student requires a 504, IEP, or ELL documentation, you will also have access to the Special Programs platform through this one-sign-in feature. 
• The Special Programs Parent Portal will provide you with an inbox that houses the following documents specific to your child and all documents can be translated as well as printed.
• IEPs (Individual Education Plan)
  • Invitations
  • Attendance Sheets
  • IEPs
  • Evaluations
  • Progress Reports
• 504s 
  • Invitations
  • Attendance Sheets
  • 504s
  • Evaluations

To access your account please use the following link. If you have any issues reach out to JodiRene Harrington at harringtonj@holliston.k12.ma.us.us or Michelle LeMay at lemaym@holiston.k12.ma.us

https://holliston.powerschool.com/public/home.html

• Holliston SEPAC is comprised of parents/guardians of students who are in Special Education or on 504 plans. This group is an open forum that meets once a month and all are welcome to join. SEPAC is specifically aimed at families of children with special needs and acts as a collaborative liaison between the community and schools.

Holliston SEPAC

• DESE has updated their Special Education webpage.
  • DESE Special Education webpage
     
• To streamline access to all pertinent documents and information for families, we have created a “live” link HPS Family Resource Hub.  
  • HPS Family Resources HUB

• The Office of Student Services has put together for the 24-25 school year another information-packed FamilyEd Series.  All presentations are held via Zoom and are recorded for those who cannot attend.  Please find the schedule of events in the link below, as well as previously recorded presentations.
  • HPS FamilyEd Presentation Guide (24-25)

• Previously Recorded FamilyEd Presentations accessible for your viewing
  • HPS FamilyEd Presentation Guide (23-24)