falsifying documents and 1 year for an eval ?

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she only has a 504 plan-not an IEP.....they've said that she doesn't need an IEP because previous to this year, her only deficits were social- she was getting good grades & not struggling with anything academic . They feel that they have her behaviors under control, and therefore do not need to evaluate her any further.

I was surfing Wrightslaw, and came across this informatio...........

" Who is Financially Responsible for an IEE? ( Independent Educational Evaluation)

Generally, parents are responsible for the costs of an IEE. However, in some circumstances the school district may be financially responsible.

If the school district does not have the personnel or resources to conduct an evaluation that an IEP team has identified is needed, the school district must obtain a private evaluation at its own expense. Or, if the school district determines that an IEE is needed or should be conducted for any reason, in most situations, the school district has to pay for the evaluation.

When Parents & School Staff Disagree

When parents and the school district disagree about the need for an independent educational evaluation (IEE), there are certain conditions in which a school district may be forced to pay for the evaluation. If the parents present an evaluation that the school district previously refused to conduct, the school district may be required to reimburse the parents for the costs of this evaluation - if it is determined that the evaluation provided information which impacted the child's education, services or placement.

Additionally, if the parents disagree with a school district evaluation and request an IEE at public expense, the school district must obtain the IEE and pay for it unless the school district requests a due process hearing and the hearing officer rules that the IEE is not needed. 34 C.F.R. 300.503.

In other words, the school district cannot simply refuse the parents' request for an independent evaluation. The district must consent to the IEE at public expense, or request a due process hearing and prove to a hearing officer that the school evaluation was sufficient. Finally, if a hearing officer orders an IEE during the course of a due process hearing, it will be conducted at public expense. Id."

it all seems to come back to how much time do i want to let this mess fester ?....If I wait for the school to complete their evaluation, and i don't agree with it- then i can get them to pay for an IEE....or i can go ahead with an IEE, and hope that it shows that the school was negligent in providing appropriate services for daughter- and then get the school to pay for it..........
i don't know. it's just heartbreaking to see daughter struggle- to realize that she struggles & i just don't know what to do to help her- no one seems to know what to do to help her at this point in time.....

They said she doesn't need an IEP yet they are doing a referral for academic, cognitive and achievement testing? Is it a referral for special education? It really does sound like one to me.

Let us know.

Assuming it is a referral for special education then their process could be to first complete the referral paperwork and then have the official "signing of papers to evaluate" meeting. If they do that, they will probably put the date that will be used to countdown the 60 days but they really need to use the date of your letter. If it ends up being the referral for special education evaluation, I would also request that they evaluate behavior/social/emotional testing as well. I would also request a functional behavior assessment and a more formal behavior intervention plan (if you feel it is needed).

If you don't agree with the schools evaluation, then I would contact the special ed director and request one. Most school districts will comply or work with parents. It all depends on your school district. If you have a really stubborn district, they may go the "hearing" route. In that case, I hope you live near other good districts. I don't know if the fight would be worth staying in the district. If you don't live near another good district that accepts out of district students, then the fight would be worth it because it is your little girl.

the unfortunate reality is that daughter only has the rest of this school year in this school. she moves on to middle school next Sept- terrifying.

Natesmom....

"OK - that's funny. Laine beat me to it... I didn't even read all the responses. "

LOL Great minds and all that!

Ster since your child is going to be entering middleschool next year, this is really why you lite the candle under their butts this year for another IEP eval. When my son entered MS this year, he completly fell apart.

Have you thought about hiring an advocate? Well worth the money IMO. You can find one near you if you go to wrightslaw and look under "The Kids Yellowpages" They will give you list after list of people that can help you.

will look into getting an advocate

Middle school has been a very difficult transition for my son, and that is WITH an IEP in place. The homework volume increases leaps and bounds, the level of responsibility increases, the ability of each teacher to really know your unique child decreases, and all the social stuff gets more complex. My son really likes the academics of it all, and was quite ready to take on having to change classes, etc., but trying to get 6 teachers tending to his needs and agreeing to what I believe is best for him ... well, that has been a struggle.

I would start meeting with the middle school team next spring, if possible. I had wanted to do that for my son, but the school was going through so many structural and staffing changes that it just wasn't possible. Hitting the ground in September and starting a class schedule that turns out to need tweaking is really rough ... our kids don't like change, and tweaking the class schedule when they are already clinging to the life raft of new experiences is, well, too much to ask. Far better to be comfortable from the start that she will be in the right classes for her abilities, receive appropriate accommodations, and have teachers who "get" it all.

If possible.

Yeah, I like to dream

But, heck, you never know. It's worth it to try.

i unfortunately know the mess that is called middle school.........son had a HORRIFIC time. he entered middle school un-dxed. and the problems, they began almost immediately- the teasing, bullying, increased anxiety due to overcrowding in the school- ended up pulling him out of that school & getting him placed in a therapeutic school..............i'd really like to get all of this mess with daughter resolved prior to middle school- but who knows if that will happen.

Ster

I didn't know she was going into middle school next year. That makes me even more angry with your story. I can't believe they were telling you that they may take all year for interventions or strategies (forgot your wording). She doesn't have all year.

Middle school is horrible for kids if they don't get help. I hope you can get her on an IEP beforehand. We always have a mad rush to assess kids in 5th grade if we even have a little suspicion they could have a disability - of any kind, any kind.

I am so very sorry. You have been down this road before so you are probably feeling even more anxiety. Advocate not mediator sounds like the perfect way to go. Where I live, there are organizations you can call and easily get a parent advocate. They are everywhere, waiting to help, wanting to help anyone who needs the help.

DW has great ideas! I would have a meeting and at that meeting ask which staff member can take your daughter under their "wings" so to speak. Ask if there is someone who can check in on her or to help her find "a home" if needed. Meaning a place she can go to if she is feeling overwhelmed or overstimulated. If there is one or two people who can monitor her, she is a less apt to get lost or feel ovewhelmed. She would probably love to eat lunch in a staff members room at least one day a week. That staff member can help monitor her.

we are hoping to get her into a smaller magnet school for next year- it's focus is the arts- which she loves...
heard back from the docs that will be doing her eval- based on the info we gave, they want to know where the copy of her IEP is-HA!........the docs won't schedule an appt until they have all of their paperwork back. they're still waiting for the notes from daughter's current psychiatrist & therapist too.......in a way, i hope that their paperwork doesn't come in too soon- with Christmas around the corner, i'm not looking forward to spending that $1000 out of pocket

I hear you. We are spending another $800 out of pocket for a neuropsych in Jan. Thank goodness it wasn't this month.

Keep us updated. Smaller magnet schools are WONDERFUL - as long as they are truly smaller. I want Nate to go to a math and tech magnet school this coming fall but it's huge. Although I work there, I think it would be too much.

Magnet schools should be small. How would she get into the program there, is it a lottery system?

Last edited by natesmom on 19 Dec 2008, 6:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

no progress on anything yet.................as far as the magnet school goes, it's our 1st foray into the magnet school world.....supposed to go to an open house at the end of January...the magnet school is in a different city than ours- i do know that daughter will be bussed there if she gets in........