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If they are ending IEP supports, they need to be doing a reevaluation showing there is no longer a need for these services. And if you don't agree with the school's eval because you feel a student in MS should be able to write a paragraph w/o help, you can ask for an IEE at school expense. Also, if this MS doesn't have what your child needs, your school can pay for another school that does provide what's needed. This is the right option if they don't have what's needed. This happens a lot: https://adayinourshoes.com/what-to-do-when-school-says-we-dont-do-that-here/ Gifted students like yours do tend to mask their disability. This could be why the teacher isn't seeing the need. IEP evals are normed and should be able to detect if a student is masking...which is why you end IEPs with an eval and not a progress report showing there is no longer a need for services.

This can also be a sign of school climate & culture. In other words, it can be a sign that the adults in the building see student who need extra help as 'less than'. I think it's a great idea to teach self-advocacy and a quick comeback works great. The truth is that adults need help too. Most people don't DIY everything. They have people who cut their grass, fix their plumbing, repair/maintain their car... I'd want to know how pervasive things like this are in a building. I know my daughter was bullied for going to pull-outs in elementary school. Hers were for gifted enrichment and cello lessons. I found this out too late to offer advice on how to deal with it.

Many school districts want to stop pull out minutes in middle and high school. Sometimes it is for good reasons, such as the student know longer wants to be seen by their peers as being pulled out for special education. Sometimes it's for "bad" reasons such as they don't want to utilize resources for pull out minutes in middle and high school (not a valid reason if the student still needs pull out minutes). But they usually at least offer "push in" minutes. Did they do that here? At a minimum, I would ask for those instead of just jumping from push in instruction to nothing, especially if she is not on grade level for writing. If the data justifies it, ask for push in minutes to get help with writing. This is not necessarily obvious to the rest of the class, as the person is often helping other students, as well. Having said that, if the need is there for pull out minutes, you can definitely fight for that. "We don't do that" is not a valid reason. But you do need data. It sounds like your daughter only has a goal for spelling within the "specialized instruction for writing" category. This is a tough one to keep as it's not a well defined sub-category of written expression. So you will have to show a need. Does she spell well enough for spell check to know what she's trying to spell and does she have this accommodation? If so, that may be all you can get. However, if she is so poor at spelling that the accommodation is useless OR the teacher cannot understand what she is trying to say in a sentence/paragraph/essay, that is an argument for a spelling goal. due to her spelling deficit affecting her ability to access FAPE. Moving forward make sure to have all written work sent home so that you can see her output and start collecting data to make your argument. But it sounds like your daughter needs more than a spelling goal if she cannot write a 3 sentence paragraph on her own (start collecting the data on this, as well). To get that you will need to ask for an evaluation in the area of academics, specifically, written expression. If the evaluation comes back with low enough scores to find eligibility in written expression, there's the data you need to either get pull out or push in minutes. If they still refuse, ask for an IEE. Finally, is there any concern about dyslexia or dyslexic tendencies here? With her being 2e, she may very well have been masking this throughout elementary school (by memorizing and figuring out words from context) and may present as reading on grade level. If you have any concerns at all about this, also ask for an evaluation in the area of reading. Make sure they do subtests that dig into phonological awareness and phonics (the very basics of reading foundation) because that's where these type of students usually slip through the cracks. But not having the foundational skills in place usually catches up with them at some point.

We had our middle school articulation meeting as my child (ADHD & 2e, with poor executive function) is going into middle school next year. They said they will keep all my child's accommodations, but not the pull outs because the school "doesn't do that". Is this legal? She has not met her most of her IEP goals. And has definitely the goals for spelling and executive function. She gets pulled out for spelling using Wilsons. Yet her spelling is below grade level and she can not write a 3 sentence paragraph independently on her own. I pointed out her spelling issues and they just replied they don't grade spelling in middle school, so it is not an issue. I disagreed and said that doesn't matter, she is not at grade level and can't write an essay on her own. They just repeat that they "don't do that" in middle school. What can I do to get her pull outs in middle school? Or do I need to advocate they pay for tutoring for spelling and writing skills? Or is there something else I can ask for here in CA? They don't offer up solutions.

One of our community members shared something that got me thinking. She's a Reading Interventionist and former Special Education teacher. A parent recently told her that another student sometimes makes comments that make her child feel "stupid" for getting reading help. Oof. First, that parent's response was exactly right. She had great advice for him, reminding him that we all have things we are good at and things we need more work on. That's true for kids and adults. But it got us wondering... What can we teach kids to say in these moments? Not every child is ready to ignore it and walk away. Some kids feel more confident when they have a few phrases prepared ahead of time. So let's crowdsource some ideas. If another student says something like: • Why do you leave for reading? • Are you in the dumb group? • Why do you need extra help? What are some responses a student could use? Examples: ✔ Everyone learns differently. ✔ I'm working on my reading skills. ✔ Lots of people get extra help with things. ✔ This is what helps me learn. Parents, teachers, and students, what would you add to the list? Let's build a resource together that helps kids respond with confidence instead of feeling ashamed for getting the support they need.

I ended up having a discussion with the case manager. They spoke with the contracting company, sounds like it is some sort of medical issue that is preventing the tvi from finishing the school year (one session ). The company is having a replacement TVI look over her notes, provide an updated goal for the new IEP and attend the meeting. TVI teacher will be back for next school year. So I think, this is a good plan.

You have more info than what I've seen with other families. When a teacher or therapist isn't available to provide the services in the IEP, lots of schools don't mention this to families. They want to amend the IEP so they are not out of compliance with the IEP is my 1st thought. You can ask that they provide compensatory services once they hire a new TVI but I see their point: If your child is building momentum, maybe it's appropriate for an OT to work toward some of the goals - this is provided this isn't outside of the OT's scope of practice. I would want something in the IEP saying that the school will be activity looking for a TVI since they are the appropriately credentialed person to be working with a student who has CVI. You don't want the school to forget your child needs a TVI if they were to amend the IEP where an OT is working on the goals having a reminder about a TVI would be good. Is there a TVI in the area where you could take your child to see them & the school covers the cost as part of the IEP? That's the only alternative that I'm aware of when they have staff unavailable to provide a service in the IEP.

This is an interesting one ... I have just been notified that the TVI is not going to be back for the rest of the year (we have consultations a direct services with goals listed in IEP) . The case manager does not know why this is happening. They are proposing to attach TVI services through an OT handwriting goal. And then amend the IEP in the fall when a new TVI is on board and can assess and develop their own goals. The contracted company also stated they don't have access to the students file and the TVI did not provide input to the new draft iep (annual) My intake thought it , they need to get a TVI replacement , new assessment and create goals but is that realistic this time of year or worth it. She has a dx of CVI but very very mild from what we can underStand. I would love to hear thoughts on this. And what steps i should be thinking about taking Thank you

You're right about asking for an IEE. The school can say yes or it's Due Process - those are the 2 options schools have. To remove an IEP, the school should do a reeval showing the student isn't behind. The special ed tests they use are normed. What teachers do tends to be subjective which is why you want a normed eval. In theory, schools should be offering parents 3 options for meeting times. We have lives outside of our kids and our schedules might not mesh with the school's. (There are doctors and other professionals who have kids with IEPs where they can't rearrange their schedules on short notice.) They shouldn't meet without you without giving you some options first. Meeting during the week before school starts when the teachers have their inservice could be an option. Teachers have lives outside of school too. IMO, special ed is a stressful job. Lots of teachers burnout after a short career. I can see how teachers miss things like having a meeting before heading to MS as they tend to have a lot of things to do to wrap up the year. If you see a goal, you can ask: How are you going to measure progress and determine if the goal has been met? If you feel the yardstick is subjective let them know. (Will they send you a copy of their proposed updates so you have time to review them before the meeting?) A good measure is imagining another teacher stepping to implement the IEP and measure the goals. Could they do what the teacher is doing and see the same thing? This is a good way to test how clear what's in the IEP is. I've also seen where a goal is met in therapy but the skill doesn't transfer outside of the therapy room. To move from a 504 back to an IEP, the school would need to do a new evaluation. It's data that drives what's in the IEP and this is how schools get that data. Hope this helps.

@JSD24, thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my questions. I did reach out to my child's school last week via E-mail and told the team that "I would like to better understand how the data they sent demonstrates that my child has met the two goals outlined in their IEP. If someone could please explain in detail how the data supports this determination, I would appreciate it." I also told them I have not received any additional data sets, nor have I received notice of a review meeting & asked if they could advise when the review meeting would occur and when I can expect to receive the remaining data? The SPED teacher responded with "so sorry for the delay regarding the data and scheduling the review meeting as it slipped my mind." They're aware that my child is moving to middle school. I'd like to give them grace, but I've been gaslit so much in the past year, it's hard for me to believe this was an oversight. Additional data was sent home, but there was 3 months missing. The school principal then responded that they can schedule a meeting on Tuesday at 11:30. I'm already losing time from work to attend my child's awards ceremony that day. I'm afraid to take any additional time off from work but school ends here on Friday. Last time I had a meeting with them, it was an hour + of time and then they didn't even address everything in the PWN. My fear is that they'll meet without me and switch the IEP to a 504 & remove some accommodations. They've brought this up numerous times in past meetings. And I know it's going to be a challenge to get switched back to an IEP. (They've already changed goals before an IEP meeting & they weren't SMART goals, so I have little trust in them.) I almost wonder if it would be best for me to tell them to send me the the details for their data that supports their position and I'll discuss it with the new school. I still want to request an IEE though. If they say "no," I guess the next step is due process if I'm not mistaken? Thanks for listening to one stressed out parent.....

Is there a specific timeline for requesting an IEE after the school completes testing? There isn't. Since it's been 15 months, they might want to do another eval rather than pay for an IEE. You might want to talk to the special ed director and ask them. I do agree that your child needs to be tested for pragmatics (and social skills). These are the areas of need with ADHD & autism. To whom is an IEE request addressed to? The school principal, school district SPED director, state agency? I'd address it to the principal, case manager (this would be the special ed teacher who writes the IEP), and the special ed director. (Send an email.) If the IEP goals aren't measurable (and the school was aware,) can I argue for an IEE? No. You do an IEE to get data. If a goal isn't measurable...well, you want SMART goals. My child is moving over to Middle School next school year, should there be a transition meeting which includes the SPED teacher at the new school? Not required under IDEA. It's a nice thing to do. Since the SPED teacher stated my child has mastered their goals, is it beneficial to ask for a meeting to have them show me how the data was collected even though they admitted the program they used only shows completion and isn't measurable? "What does that look like?" Ask that question when you feel a goal isn't measurable. If they didn't back their teacher, they would be admitting the IEP isn't FAPE.

I have a few questions which I hope the community can answer: Is there a specific timeline for requesting an IEE after the school completes testing? To whom is an IEE request addressed to? The school principal, school district SPED director, state agency? If the IEP goals aren't measurable (and the school was aware,) can I argue for an IEE? My child is moving over to Middle School next school year, should there be a transition meeting which includes the SPED teacher at the new school? Since the SPED teacher stated my child has mastered their goals, is it beneficial to ask for a meeting to have them show me how the data was collected even though they admitted the program they used only shows completion and isn't measurable? Here's a bit of background: In February 2025, the school completed the triennial testing for my child's IEP evaluation (DX with Autism & ADHD.) Although the results showed that my child was at average and even above average on some of the tests that they completed, I still didn't agree with the results. During our IEP meeting last March to go over the results, it was mentioned that timers were stopped because of "intrusive thoughts" but that wouldn't have affected the scoring. They also declined to test pragmatic language skills. I debated about requesting an IEE then, but the local state advocacy group was like, well, try to write them a letter stating that you don't agree with the results. (I had one of their advocates with me during the meeting. I don't think she said more than 10 words the entire meeting.) Fast forward to August 2025. I receive an E-mail from the new SPED teacher who set up a meeting to go over the annual IEP. When I received the draft, the two goals my child had were rewritten. Not only were they rewritten, it was done in a way which essentially stated child will complete X in 4 out of 5 opportunities. I brought up to the team that the goals weren't measurable this way, but my concerns were again dismissed. I also asked the SPED teacher why my parent concerns letter was summarized in the IEP and was told that they don't have to put my full letter in there. At this point, the school wasn't listening to me nor my advocate, so I called the district SPED Director to ask that she join us for another meeting. I spent 45 minutes on the phone with the SPED director and was told that my parent concerns letter was not where I put in that I disagree with the decisions made by the IEP team and that they don't have to put my full letter in my child's IEP. They also fully backed their teachers and the decisions that they were making, but they would contact the principal to request another meeting. Another meeting was scheduled, but that didn't work out because the school had tech issues & my child's teacher couldn't be in attendance for more than 15 minutes. After going back and forth with the school, I got another meeting scheduled and the state advocacy group put me in touch with one of their director's to attend with me. The state advocate pointed out that info was missing from the IEP and that the goals as written weren't measurable. The school principal was in this meeting and we discussed her suggestions to my child's IEP which I actually agreed with. After an hour plus meeting, it seemed like both sides were making progress, although I felt like I was being lectured for “not letting my child be independent.” The PWN comes with the amended IEP. Sure enough, it's missing a good deal of what was discussed at the meeting. And when I E-mailed the principal about it (when I had to e-mail and ask where the data was that backed up their progress reports,) she didn't directly address it. It was pushed off on the SPED and Gen Ed teachers to answer my questions. I'm literally at my wits end. I don't seem to be getting anywhere with the school and the state advocacy agency is super vague. It's more or less, "it's up to you what you want to do." As a parent who has no idea what they're doing, I'm just looking for some direction on what the next best steps are, especially with the school year ending next Friday. Thank you.

I write this putting aside my ineffectiveness with my own kids… If I am reading correctly, he was diagnosed with ADHD after they denied an IEP? I would immediately ask for him to be evaluated (yup, again) for an IEP. I think his new diagnosis (definitely share this with them in writing) would be reason they could reevaluate, even if you were still within the time frame to ask for an IEE. So ask, and if they say no, immediately request the IEE in writing. No need to elaborate why, just make the request in writing. If they agree to evaluate for an IEP again, this is your opportunity to rebut/provide everything in an eligibility meeting. Due to timing, this would be next school year:(. I am not well-versed in 504 meetings, but I would attend. You can agree to anything they offer that would be helpful while also clearing stating (when you agree to the meeting, at the meeting, and in a follow-up email) that you believe your son needs an IEP, that you asked for them to evaluate/or for an IEE, and that pending those results, you want his 504 to be as robust as possible because You Believe He Needs an IEP! Lastly, get every piece of evidence you can that shows your kiddo’s struggle. My kiddo tests at the 87% (this is just in average) in written expression one round, then I show up with his actual work, any writing I can get my hands on, because standardized scores are not everything (not always). Another example: written expression score is “average” on one standardized test, but Below Average on a different one. Look at the subtests carefully. Teachers ratings cannot always be trusted and should not be a “tiebreaker”. My kids rarely mark anything that comes up elevated, and I have years of teachers ratings vs my ratings that are very different at times. Fortunately and unfortunately, time has shown that my ratings are accurate, and teachers much less so. Do not let them say that one or two teachers ratings determine anything. Just show them all the proof of what the teachers were not seeing. (If this sounds nutso, think of this situation: I pick up my then 7 year old at school, he is pale with wide eyes and falls into my arms burning up. He has pneumonia. Teacher never noticed all day the many sign that I saw immediately: moms see differently than teachers. These are our kids and teachers have to notice what is happening with many, so nuances of one can be missed). I am also going through the end of school panic:(. I don’t think there is much you can do to change the beginning of middle school…. But I could be wrong, so see what others say here. In addition to asking for the IEP eval or IEE, I would also try to get as much information about his 6th grade schedule and see what you can do to just get him prepared over the summer, and be very communicative with the middle school right away, and document as much as you can (always) but every day of middle school. Things went very haywire very fast for one of my kiddos at this point….not to scare you, but to let you know that this is when previously small things get pushed front and center. For us, social skills. Lastly, do not let them show you As and Bs and use them to mean anything. Get every piece of your kiddos work, make copies, and keep it! I can only see my kiddos assessments one time per quarter (now in 9th), and have found where they are not making wrong answers (in math!). It is really disheartening, but it begins to feel like their objective is hiding or twisting data to make everything good, while parents are forced to have extensive evidence to prove otherwise. Please keep us posted!

400 hours is over 16 days (24 hour days). There is no way she is getting that much instruction in a week. Most schools are only open to 35 hours a week and they won't take away lunch to provide instruction. I think you need to get the IEP corrected if it really says 400 hours per week. Could it be 400 minutes per week? Not sure how she could have missed 1000 instructional hours. If school meets for 180 days that are 6 hours long, that's 1080 hours in total. Again, this isn't realistic for any IEP unless your child is going to school every day. Could it be 1000 minutes? I think asking the IEP team to document the IEP minutes your child gets daily is not unreasonable. And asking them to make up missed time isn't unreasonable either. I do think you need to get the amount of time in the IEP straight before your write to the school. If you know how to put 400 hours into a week that typically lasts 168 hours (24 X 7 = 168), please let me know. I'm behind on some paperwork and could use that extra time to catch up.

The school doesn't have data on how much help he gets at home. Start writing down what you're doing and how long it takes for you to to this. Send this to the school and ask for it to be added to his 504 file so they have a record of what happens at home. Or you put a time limit on help. I know it's not easy to watch your child fail and end up with poor self esteem but the way the system works, this is what needs to happen. If the student scrapes by with outside help, the school doesn't have to offer an IEP. This is why the 504 appears to be working. (They can't read minds. They don't know if you or a tutor are helping him so they attribute his progress to what they are doing.) Did they assess social skills and pragmatics as "areas of need"? These are the 2 areas that kids will tend to qualify for an IEP with. The social skills assessment my school uses is the SSIS -The Social Skills Improvement System . Also, with smart kids, they will mask. My child looked average on the TOPL - Test Of Pragmatic Language. I was told if they had done the optional extended assessment, the issues would have come to light.

Best practice is SMART goals. From Google: SMART goals are a structured framework for setting objectives that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. When the school comes up with a crap goal, ask them to make it into a SMART goal. You should be able to teach yourself what a SMART goal looks like so you can critique the school's goals. https://adayinourshoes.com/smart-goals/ and: https://adayinourshoes.com/iep-goal-bank/ This should help you climb the learning curve. When I copied from Google, it changed my font color. Not sure why that happens.

It appears that you are documenting the missed instructional minutes, which is GOOD. Ask for an IEP meeting to discuss how the minutes will be made up. (To answer your question, no, they are not allowed to cut down her minutes due to testing unless it specifically states that in her IEP.) You don't have to insist on a minute-for-minute replacement (and that may not even be required - depends on your state). But you can ask for a plan as to how your child will be compensated for this missed instruction. It could be done by adding on extra time to her pullout sessions moving forward or it could be done by sessions given during the summer, after school, or before school. Be flexible in what you will accept and hopefully this will not create any tension. They should know these hours need to be made up somehow.

In my child's newest IEP it says she is to spend 400 hours weekly in the resource classroom for reading, writing, and math. The school has been doing standardized testing for the past month, and during that time it looks like she's been getting maybe 25 minutes for just math, and not even everyday. I think they use the classroom for testing for some of the kids. Are they allowed to cut down her hours like that for testing? She's missed out on at least 1000 hours of instruction time due to this. I need suggestions on how to approach this. I'm pretty sure they are already mad at me because I pushed back before the IEP (politely, but firmly which they are not used to from me) because they gave us the exact same goals and an almost copy and past of her current levels from last year.

Hi all. My 11-year-old 5th grader has confirmed diagnoses of ASD (diagnosed age 2) and ADHD Inattentive Type (diagnosed February 2026). He has had a 504 plan in place since the first time we were denied evaluations at all at the end of 3rd grade. We are in Missouri. The district completed an initial special ed evaluation and denied eligibility. I verbally disagreed with the determination in the meeting and did not sign anything. I am on a waiting list for a state advocacy nonprofit with no ETA. We have 23 school days left and he transitions to middle school in the fall. MY QUESTIONS: Does this situation call for requesting an IEE at public expense? Is there a time limit after denial in which I have to request an IEE? The school wants to schedule a 504 Update Meeting. Is there a risk that attending or agreeing to updates could be used against me if I pursue an IEE? If so, should I send the IEE request before agreeing to that meeting? Thank you for any guidance. More context below if needed... The School's Position: The 504 is working Standardized testing scores are average to above average, so no academic need exists Executive functioning struggles are not pervasive across all settings because one teacher rated him average Even if he had qualified, he would only receive task initiation goals — no specially designed math instruction — because his standardized math scores don't show an academic deficit My Argument: The current 504 requires constant teacher prompting and nightly home reteaching to sustain passing grades — that is not independent functioning Standardized scores were obtained one-on-one in a quiet room with no competing demands and do not reflect classroom performance Executive functioning deficits are the core barrier preventing him from independently accessing, learning, and retaining curriculum — especially math — and this is showing up clearly in his most academically demanding class His real classroom math data shows a consistent pattern of failure on unit tests despite passing daily low-demand work, which the standardized scores do not capture I believe he needs both executive functioning support AND specially designed math instruction that accounts for how his disabilities affect learning and retention in a real classroom The evaluation findings: WISC-V: Full Scale IQ = 99 (average) WIAT-IV (one-on-one, quiet room): All scores average to above average. Used to rule out SLD. CELF-5: Core language score 98. Used to rule out Language Impairment. BRIEF-2 (executive function): His math/science teacher rated him clinically elevated on 6 scales including the Global Executive Composite (73). His ELA teacher rated him average (54). I rated him potentially clinically elevated (69). My son rated himself in the average range (62). The school concluded his difficulties are "not pervasive across settings" (said verbally in meeting) and denied on those grounds — despite clinically elevated ratings from the teacher in his most academically demanding class and a potentially clinically elevated rating from me at home. What the classroom data shows: iReady Math: Scored at Grade 4 level in August and again in December (1 scale point of growth over a full semester). Jumped to Mid-5th grade level in March — during the period I was reteaching math at home nightly. School cited this jump as evidence the 504 is working without accounting for my home support. Unit tests in math: Consistently 50% or below. Daily 2-4 question exit worksheets after instruction: consistently 100%. The school's own Tier 3 social intervention was described by the teacher as having "minimal success." The denial PWN lists his current math grade as an "A." His report card has never shown an A in math. His grade in math specifically has been Q1: B-, Q2: B-, Q3: B, Currently in Q4: C

It has been a long day (month, year) at this school so forgive my bluntness: 11 meetings this year so far (2 kids) and still at least 2 more to go with IEEs Not only have the Generic, drop-box, completely inappropriate crap goals not improved, the newest draft IEP went from 3 crap goals to 1!!!!!! It appears that putting crap goals in IEPs is a great tactic as I have not read one due process case (or met a lawyer willing to take a case) based on crap goals. I am not equipped to write my children’s goals (but will have to learn how to do that too), but neither is this district ( really Special Services Director in this case as he is the Only IEP team member who is allowed to do anything). Since I am pretty certain that any goals that I actually write and ask to be included in their IEPs will be refused, which leaves me in this exact situation (Due Process), does anyone have any suggestions/experience/info about this? Is it better for me to just compose goals (in the clearly established areas of need) knowing that they will not use them? So I can have them put that in a PWN/NOREP? Am I nuts to be furious that the pathetic 3 crap goals are now only 1???? Do they really think my ASD/ADHD/SLD 9th graders (who have failed their first Keystone round which was entirely predicted by the Firefly and Last spring PSDA scores…….but utterly ignored by everyone except me) only needs 1 goal???? I am really over all of this…..when I can’t even get a goal????? Can anyone tell me why I am wasting all of my energy and time (and money) just to have a few goals written down? I’m not even talking about real SDIs, or certainly not even progress with data or being implemented (I won’t bother including “with fidelity”).

You have data that he does OK when a para checks in with him and not OK when they don't. I'd request a 504 plan IN WRITING. If they call you with a 'we don't have the budget for this' message, do a follow up email: Hi School: Per your call on April 20, we discussed my request for a 504 plan. I was told that the school's budget doesn't allow for this. I just wanted to confirm that this was what I was told. Please reply to this email if I'm not understanding the reason for XYZ School saying my child doesn't need a formal 504 plan. This puts their reply in writing. If they don't reply, you have proof they are refusing the 504 because of lack of budget. You can take this to the Office of Civil Rights and they can get on the school about this. If they don't believe the data, ask them why your child has major issues when the paras are out of the building. Unfortunately, getting a 504 should be a sprint but the school is making it into a marathon. Be persistent with your advocacy. They have to accommodate him especially if you have proof he has a medical diagnosis where students will often need some extra support.

Absolutely ask for an evaluation for a 504 Plan formally in writing (email). Check with your principal to see who the 504 coordinator is for your building and send your request to that person. Send examples, data, teacher emails, disciplinary referrals, "sent to the principal's office", low grades, and anything that would show he is struggling in general education without support. Compare and contrast the difference between when a para is there and when he/she is not. Do you have outside evaluations and diagnoses? Make sure to attach those. Also attach any emails that state "it's not in their budget" to provide a 504 or if no emails, reference any conversations in which this was stated. Lack of funding is not an excuse to not provide students with disabilities needed accommodations. Obviously he needs a para since there is one provided now and makes a difference; you need to get this accommodation formalized in a 504. If denied, find out who the overall district coordinator/director is for 504's and check the appeal process in your district.

I am currently fighting my school district for a 504 plan. they have been throwing ideas at this and behavioral charts for 2 yrs but never making a formal 504 plan. they have Para's check in with my son for 5mins or less thru out day. but on days that all of the paras are out of the building my son has major issues and they blame him. when again if this was addressed in a plan such as having back up plan for when the supports arent avaiable or having a set para to help him. i feel like they are trying to make it seem like they are addressing issues but arent held to any plan that they must provide for my son as school. I am at the point of formally asking for 504 plan but any mention of this in past with supports its always thrown back they dont have it in their budget.. how do i fight this issue

It's hard for a special ed teacher to know about all disabilities where they can manage an IEP (and the SDI needed to reach goals) for every student. Deaf & HOH are rare. Schools should be open to consulting to better understand rare disabilities. Consultants will often come with a price tag & teachers are spread thin with what they need to do (if they want to do their own research) so I see this as a lack of time & money with being able to provide FAPE for these students. Without strong parent advocacy, I see students like this slipping through the cracks.

I realize that on a limited budget it is hard to cover it all. I don't get why our smaller public schools have inclusion teachers and SPED teachers who don't have any training for teaching D/HH children. Schools shouldn't let a child enroll while knowing noone there is trained to teach them. I also think that IEP discussions with the school should be less difficult to understand, especially in rural areas where parents may have less education. But, these are only my THOUGHTS... Until they are turned into ACTIONS....