Ten Questions that help you decide if it is time to take action against your school district?

Life gets busy, I know! Kids are running amok, the school district is giving you the run-around and you know that time is of the essence in getting services for your child. Or, your child has been in and out of trouble in school and in the community but the school district has never evaluated your child for special education. Or maybe you don’t even know if your child needs special education services?
Here are my quick and dirty ten things that should help you decide it is time to take action against your school district.

• Have you been told “secretly” by some well-meaning staff that your child might need help but no one has officially reached out to you to start this process?
• Has the school district suspended or expelled your child?
• Has the school district decided that your child’s behavior was not a manifestation of his disability, even when you know it was clearly a manifestation your child’s disability?
• Has there been a failure of proper personnel to be present during the IEP meetings?
• Is it taking too long to determine if your child is eligible for special education?
• Do you want an independent assessment of your child because you disagree with the district’s Full and Individual Evaluation (FIE)?
• Has the school district refused to train staff and aides in the child’s areas of disability?
• Has the school district failed to offer extended school year services to the child, resulting in regression of skills during the summer vacation that cannot be recouped quickly?
• Has the school district failed to allow your special needs child to participate in extracurricular activities to the same extent as his non-disabled peers when your child could participate with accommodations provided by the school?
• Has the school district refused to allow parent to fully participate at IEP meetings?