IEP and 504 Issues and Questions

Every kid is different, but sometimes we hear about an accommodation and think, why didn’t I ask for that?! What’s an accommodation that has made a huge difference for your child?

My 10 yr old has an anxiety and panic disorder as well as ADHD (she has a 504). She is participating this year in a program that is run by a non-profit and hosted at her school. The program consists of 1x weekly activities that take place concurrent with the afterschool program and a 1x monthly field trip that takes place during the school day. During the past two field trips, downhill skiing and cross country skiing, my daughter has expressed significant feelings of frustration that balloon into panic attacks/meltdowns. This has, at times, led to the need for a separation from the group with one-on-one support by staff or alone time. We do know that physical activities a…

Hi all! I know for an IEP you can have it written that a parent must attend all field trips... Is this a reasonable accommodation for a 504 due to extreme anxiety and self-harm behavior around that anxiety? The parent asked for this and was denied. The school said: Thank you for your patience as I gathered more information from our district 504 coordinator. "Unfortunately, allowing you to attend all field trips with Student is not an accommodation that can be a part of her 504 plan. What we can offer Student is to have her be in a group with a preferred peer, allow her to bring her journal/sketchbook (in like a little bookbag) as a calming strategy, have…

Minnesota- Our child recently had an IEE completed and we just got back the results. The results came back in our favor. Additional diagnosis's and how they impacting our child at school. We emailed the school requesting an IEP meeting to review the IEE, discuss the recommendations, and update the IEP. The school is refusing to allow the IEE evaluator to come to the meeting since it's an additional charge. I'm concerned the school is going to try placing everything on our child or say they refuse help (even though the IEE addresses why that would happen for our child) and refuse to change anything. Can they do that? What options are there if they refuse …

Maybe this isn’t a specific IDEA issue, but, absent health emergencies, can (not should) a school deliver health services in private? Should school perform non emergent pulse ox and chest examination in public view of other students (on a sidewalk outside school) or in privacy of the nurses office or other private area?

My 10yo son was diagnosed with brain cancer this summer. When school started he was not doing great, and school pushed for wheel chair and (as we learned last week) made his aide check water intake, bathroom breaks, etc - none of that was requested by us or listed in the doctor’s note. My kid has been feeling better, and he (with support of his medical team) wants to participate in school more, does not need the wheelchair, can attend PE at his discretion, etc. School has been extremely reluctant to easen the restrictions they themselves put in the first place and even reached out to the medical team over my head asking about my son’s prognosis (!) and advocating for phys…

Hi guys, Do any of you have an example of present levels for a second-grader in any or all of the areas below and how they were determined? We have an upcoming Initial Evaluation for Eligibility and I can't tell what the student's present levels are for any of the below. I'd also like to know if it's appropriate to ask the team for the present levels. If they don't know the present levels because she "doesn't qualify" then how did they know she didn't qualify? Spelling Reading Comprehension Written Expression Vocabulary Phonemic Awareness Basic Reading Skills Decoding Time Telling Math Problem Solving …

What should and should not be included on the profile page of an IEP?

Hello, A parent reached out to me for support but the school is saying a bunch of things I've never heard of so I wanted to reach out to others for input. This parent's child attended school "A". At school A in Jan. 2024, the school switched him from an IEP to a 504 plan. The parent said she disagreed with this but the school did it anyway. They never came up with a 504 plan so she has no documentation. The child now goes to school "B". School be is saying the child must be on the 504 plan for a year before he is allowed to get his IEP back. The school is not implementing or even has a 504 plan yet. The child is having a ton of issues with behavior, no skill b…

Question: How do you handle it when the school resists adding certain supports or services to your child's IEP? Any success stories or strategies to share?

Private school lowers grades when students are given modifications to curriculum. If modified 20% best student can make is a B and if modified 70% a C. They will not give support to a student if you don't sign a contract to give lower grades. Is this legal? Help

Question: What strategies have you found effective for managing your child's behavior at school? How did you work these into their IEP?

My child already has an IEP in place. I am struggling in advocating for them as they having a hard time in the mainstream class setting but they are above grade level academically. They are too young for any kind of Gifted and Talented style program. They have delays in their emotional regulation and their social skills with peers. I have requested for BIP's in the past but have been in a stand still on them. They are diagnosed with ADHD and high levels of anxiety. I don't know if it is my own anxiety but I am hitting an absolute wall into what is reasonable to ask for. My child is bored in class. Homework is a challenge because they find everything extremely easy an…

Hi - I have a 14 yr old son with ADHD (inattentive type) and I am looking for a list of possible homework accommodations that have been used by others in a NYC public school successfully. Has anyone had success getting all their kids work listed on Google Classroom? Last year, teachers did not "check in" homework during class time so I would only find out it had not been completed when his grades were posted a week-ish later. Is this normal? I think we need immediate notification if he doesn't hand in the work. And he needs to do it at school that day or have a plan. Anyone had success with a homework schedule from the teachers? I asked last year and was …

Is it ok for a goal to be measured "by staff observation" only? For example: By the end of the 9 weeks, he will follow staff directives 80% of charted opportunities. Success will be measured using staff observation. If it's legit, I digress. Doesn't please though. I will ask for something more concrete, but still want to know in your opinion if it's acceptable. THANKS

Hello there, I am reaching out because I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with the current IEP process for my child. My child has been diagnosed with and we have recently updated their IEP to better address their evolving needs. One area where I am struggling is understanding how to effectively monitor progress toward the IEP goals. We have set some ambitious goals; but I am finding it challenging to gauge whether we are making adequate progress and how to adjust our approach if needed. I am also concerned about how to ensure that the goals are both realistic and aligned with my childs abilities and needs. Additionally; I am seeking advice on the best practices…

Mn- If we talk to another school district about transferring our child to them, will they go back and talk to our current school district? Is transportation covered? They have IEP with transportation currently. We are considering transferring our child to another school district due the school not meeting our child's learning and disability needs (mainly due to them not wanting to meet them as they are known for not accepting kids with special needs). I hate to do it as is a pretty far distance from where we live, but we've had so many problems and have filed a complaint. But how they are treating our child is affecting them emotionally, which is why …

Hello! I have been doing research to try to figure out how to inform/educate my son’s teachers that reading his texts out loud is how he understands the material. My son is a junior in high school. Unfortunately, he has three classes where students are expected to read silently for most of a 90-minute class period (As a retired English teacher of 25 years, don’t even get me started on my thoughts on this matter. I rarely asked students to read silently in class without a specific reason and/or audio support.) I am hoping that some of you may have suggestions on what you said and/or recommended to encourage teachers to support your child in their need…

I'm trying to look for any resources on the matter. I read the articles about requesting homebound services and this is a situation that is a bit off the norm. Student is attending a cyber charter through the state and has an IEP for behavior, education autism. Parents have an upcoming evaluation for a medical diagnosis of autism. The school is the type that requires a parent or someone they provide to be the "learning coach". The parent is completely overwhelmed by the student's behaviors and is at the point where they can no longer effectively help with the student and are looking into officially requesting 1:1 in-home help from the school. The school hints that t…

Can language therapy be added to a 504 plan or does this need to be an IEP? This case is in Missouri.

I need help finding the supporting legal definition of “school-endorsed activity.” As I understood from IDEA 34 C.F.R. §§ 300.320, 300.107, and 300.117, IEPs also cover extracurricular activities as long as the activity is endorsed by school. What is the litmus test to determine if an activity is endorsed by the school? I would appreciate if you could provide as much detail as available for this test as extracurricular activities take so many different shapes and forms. Sometimes the activity is free to the students, sometimes there is a fee but the school allows the group to meet in the school grounds for free or just a symbolic fee, sometimes the activity has…

Hello! My 14 y.o. with ADHD has had an IEP since the 4th grade, largely because of behavioral and social-emotional issues. It was "renewed" for 3 years (last triennial) and covered 6, 7, an 8th grade. Both in 6th and in 7th he had a few suspensions for behavior and at the end of 7th after a 3rd suspension the team suggested we reevaluate him, and I agreed thinking it would translate into MORE support for his social-emotional challenges. However, after they did all the assessments they came back and said he was doing so well academically that they felt he no longer qualified for an IEP to "access the classroom" and wanted to move him to a 504. I disagreed and sent the…

My son has an IEP for speech, which he has mastered, and they have kept him on to get him approved for an OHI IEP. We are in TN, and I have had an increasingly difficult time in our school district with accommodations. He has ASD and was diagnosed with GAD also last year he was diagnosed with a neurological disorder in his colon. He is 7 and not potty trained, which has been a problem with the school. He is in Gen Ed, high functioning and they do not provide any kind of assistance. He is expected to go to the bathroom and take care of all his needs on his own, the problem is he won't. I was told due to the medical conditions he needs a 504 but the school is attempting to …

I have a student undergoing evaluation under OHI due to multiple medical conditions that are limiting participation at school and in general with ADLs. What happens if the school decides to deny certification under OHI but the physician on the MET team completes the form stating they are limited in vitality, etc to the definition under OHI? Our state rules (MI) require a physician to be part of the decision making team. The school has been very set against offering support unless the student is failing.

I requested during the open house for my daughter to be reevaluated for speech therapy. I hadn't heard anything from the teacher so I recently asked about it. She dated that the speech therapist talked to my daughter and looked at the prior eval and said there still was no need for her to have therapy in school. My daughter is hard to understand at times even for myself and my husband, but she will repeat herself until we understand. My question is, do I push for a full evaluation to be done even if they don't WANT to do it? She is getting therapy outside of the school. I want to make sure she is able to be better understood as she gets older, she is 15 now.