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Enrollment & Admission Eligibility

 
0520-04-03-.02        STANDARDS OF ELIGIBILITY FOR ADMISSION TO THE TENNESSEE SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF AND WEST TENNESSEE SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF.
 
(1)     Students ages three (3) through twenty-one (21) who are residents of Tennessee and who have a hearing impairment that is so significant that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through  hearing,  with  or  without  amplification,  that  adversely affects  a  child’s  educational performance,  shall  be  eligible  for  admission  to  the Tennessee  School  for  the  Deaf  and  West Tennessee School for the Deaf.
 
(2)     A student who meets one  (1) or more of the following hearing impairments may be eligible for admission to the Tennessee School for the Deaf or West Tennessee School for the Deaf:
    
        (a)     A permanent or fluctuating hearing threshold level evidenced by:
  1. An unaided hearing threshold level of 30 dB or greater based on the pure tone average of 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz in the better ear;
  2. A high frequency hearing threshold level of 30 dB or greater based on the pure tone average of 1000, 2000 and 3000 Hz;
  3. An unilateral hearing threshold level of 30 dB or greater, based on the pure tone average of 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz unaided; or
  4. An  auditory  evoked  potential  response  evidencing  permanent  hearing  loss  at multiple frequencies equivalent to or in excess of the decibel hearing loss threshold criteria for pure tone audiometric testing specified above.
        (b)    A  hearing  threshold  that  interferes  with  progress  in  developmental skills or academic performance, social-emotional development, or linguistic and communicative skills.
        (c)    An inability to discriminate speech  within the normal range, or a medical condition that prevents the child from processing spoken language auditorially in spite of normal hearing.
        (d)    Evidence  of  genetic  deafness  history  in  the  student’s  family and early identification  of progressive hearing loss.
 
(3)     Students with disabilities in addition to a hearing impairment shall be eligible for admission to the Tennessee School for the Deaf and West Tennessee School for the Deaf.
 
(4)     The Director of Schools for the Tennessee School for the Deaf and West Tennessee School for the Deaf may admit students who meet the eligibility criteria, provided:
 
        (a)    The student has been evaluated and referred by his or her Individual Education Program (IEP) team, that includes a representative from the Tennessee School for the Deaf or West Tennessee  School  for  the Deaf,  for  services  at  the  school  as  the  most  appropriate placement within the least restrictive environment; and
        (b)     The school has a program designed to meet the child's needs and has space available.

Authority:   T.C.A.  §§  49-10-701,  49-10-901,  49-10-902.   Administrative  History:   Original 
rule  filed August 26, 1986; effective November 29, 1986.  Repeal and new rule filed March 16,
1992; effective June 29, 1992