Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 32 - Rehabilitation And Disabilities › Part 22 - Office of Vocational Rehabilitation for the Blind, Resource Guide › Section 32-22-3.17 - TRANSITION PROGRAM (Secondary Education) › Section 32-22-3.17.1 - Agreement of Cooperation

Current through June 25, 2024
In addition to the MOU with MDE, the Agency maintains individualized agreements between the local school districts and vocational rehabilitation offices. These agreements define referral procedures and the roles of the school and VR staff in the provision of transition services that are specific and tailored to the unique situation of each school and VR district.
Each VR Transition Counselor is responsible for developing and maintaining an agreement between the Agency and local school district. A copy of the form to be used for this agreement may be obtained from the State Coordinator for Transition Services. The form includes instructions and has been designed to assist in the development of the agreements locally.
Pages 1 and 2
of the form are generic (standard contract language). The VR Counselor will photocopy these pages and use them exactly as they are written with the name of the school district typed on the blank line.
Page 3
should begin with item number 10 (the Agency and
(school district)
further agree to the following procedures. The VR Transition Counselor and local school district personnel should jointly develop this section. The form includes examples which are provided as guidelines
only
to assist in the preparation of the individualized local agreement. The agreement should specify which agency is responsible for various activities; it can be as specific as needed. For example, the names of individuals who will be responsible for various tasks may be named, or they may be referred to by job titles instead. In individualizing these agreements, it will become apparent that there are several ways to handle referrals, etc. The form should be individualized according to the procedures that are established between the VR Transition Counselor and local school district personnel. If services are being provided at one of the Agencys CRPs the Facility Manager should be involved in developing and sign off on the school agreement. It is desirable to have a representative from the school accompany students to the CRP to assist with supervision, discipline, and instruction when possible. It is required that schools provide transportation to the CRP for students. This should be kept in mind when negotiating the Transition Agreements between the Agency and local schools. Item 10 may contain as many pages as needed, however, please number subsequent pages.
The signature page may be photocopied and filled in (include the page number at the top in the sequence in which it occurs).
The agreement may be developed with either an individual school or a school district that may include more than one school. However, MDE has requested that the Superintendent of the local school district sign the agreement. A copy of the agreement may be given to the local schools if appropriate.
The VR District Manager should approve and sign the original agreement. The VR District Office should keep the
original
agreement and provide copies to the School or School District and MDRS State Office (mail to the attention of the State Coordinator for Transition Services).
The agreement should be reviewed annually and updated if needed.