IEP and 504 Issues and Questions

My District had started to default to virtual meetings, are there any provisions that can force all participants to be in person? I personally dislike when District participants are together in the same office for a zoom and parents are elsewhere. It seems unbalanced and ripe for sidebars parents aren’t privy to. It was convenient to have meetings virtually during covid and convenient now if someone can’t make it to school, but in person is still very much my presence.

Hi there. I’m the parent of a child in Virginia that is currently not attending school due to PTSD generalized to the school. Several events lead to him being very anxious last year and then after he was physically attacked by a group students his symptoms became compounded to the point he was not able to attend school the last few weeks. Upon return this year in the Fall his anxiety was rising and he has now been diagnosed with PTSD. It’s a long story and it is ugly. The ugly part is the school and their constant denial and lack of support in this matter. They say they don’t want to disregard his diagnosis but…. then they they make a comment or an action that does ju…

What are the differences between 504 & IEP? I read that in Mississippi a hearing impairment automatically qualifies a student for a 504. My son has always had an IEP. The school has never mentioned anything about the 504.

When talking about ADHD medications what are the pro/con of medicating the day of the test versus not? Not medicating-Will make a "controllable" diagnosis show up and since school districts now have to address the diagnosis even if mitigating measures are in place that diminishes the effect of the disability, it can be addressed as there may be days when medication is forgotten, etc. 42 U.S.C. § 12102(4)(E)(i). Medicating-The effects of a primary known disability that medication mitigates could bring an unknown secondary disability to the forefront that has been masked Is there a firm rule on when to medicate and when not to? Does it matter only on IQ test…

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…

This may not be the most appropriate section for this question. This one seemed to be the closet fit. I remember coming across a template for "About me" to give to a new teacher on the adayinourshoes site. If anyone happens to know where that is could you please share it? I want to start collecting my thoughts on what to give to his teacher this year. I *could* make my own if I absolutely must but I fear it wouldn't be to the point enough. I really do benefit greatly from following a template while crafting this. Thank you so much in advance!

Not a current situation I'm in, just going through the thoughts of theoreticals from a Reddit thread. I know what the school pays for any aides, technologies, etc. But what about the smaller things? Like, if students are supposed to get rewards to help with goals, or have wiggle chairs or chair bands? In the Reddit conversation, teachers were complaining about having to buy those with their personal money, but I've also never heard of those being paid for via the IEP. I hate the idea of teachers having to pay for everything, but to some extent it feels like paying for some of it is just part of the job expectations. Or are parents supposed to send those in?

My child has had a migraine/headache every day since January. She’s missed so much school going back all the way to the start of the year. I finally got the school to do an evaluation after asking twice. 25 school days after I first asked and two meetings after they tried to talk me out of it, they finally sent me the consent to evaluation form. And 32 And 32 school days later, I saw the results. She qualified under Part A of Other Health Disability and met the criteria in Part B/they determine the absences were her academically. But they denied her services. I didn’t get a PWN until three calendar months after the evaluation was complete (May 24 vs Feb 19)…

Good morning, My son is 6 years old and just started Kindergarten in August. He was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at 2 years old and with Autism/ADD within the past 2 years. He is listed as Level 2. He is verbal but is a gestalt language learner. He has been in private OT and Speech for years now. He just started Kindergarten at a public school in West Virginia. We have an IEP in place and he was put into a self-contained Level 2 Autism Classroom. The class has 8 total students. 1 teacher (who is not certified) and 1 aide. The aide is out of the classroom with my son to the nurse's office and to toilet him. That means 7 Level 2 students with only the teacher. The ai…

Setting Choice A is not working. It's a little off the traditional, so the regular public school system is being looked at, questions asked, etc. This also means child hasn't been attending any sort of school for a few weeks. Getting the right placement is so important, but when would truancy possibly set in?

I'm hoping someone has had some experience that might be helpful. My son had an IEP, and was doing well and was transitioned to a 504. His diagnosis are DMDD (mood d/o) and ADHD. His original IEP had more to do with his mood dysregulation than his ADHD, though there were related accommodations. He is currently in a cyber charter, and is really struggling with executive function related tasks. Especially getting assignments in. I am requesting an evaluation to reconsider transitioning to an IEP, but am wondering if anyone has any experience, tips, thoughts on the best way forward? Thanks!

While the determination is made for a 504 or IEP school has told a friend child can’t be in school due to medical issue unless they have a physician note on file documenting the condition (or at least providing the explanatory it) do an action plan can presumably be developed. Family is working to get the note, but pediatrician has asked for specialist consults because they don’t want to jump to quick Dx without ruling out other things just in case. In the meantime school has declared with no doctor note on file, student is a liability and just needs to stay home, but they won’t provide homebound (which required Dr. note) or even live streaming in the meantime (because …

Schools love to say, “That never happened,” or “We didn’t say that,” or “We’ve never done that before.” What’s the worst case of gaslighting you’ve experienced? How did you document and push back?

This is a 9th grader, one year in this PA district, long history of SLD in written expression, 7% essay comp WIAT4, below basic PSSA, low growth MAP scores between winter-Spring 8th grader, has ASD, ADHD….. He cannot write a paragraph, but they “revised” aka vanished that unmet goal in November. They changed it to “will write a multi paragraph essay using graphic organizers and sentence starters, and revise with editing checklist scoring a 3/4 for Style and Organization”. My emailed concerns 2 months ago included that he cannot articulate what he is learning in writing or verbally. At the meeting this week, they are recommending Honors History specifically d…

A "life skills-type class" was recently brought up as a possibility for my 8 year old with ID. What kind of life skills do they teach 8 year olds? She takes care of her own hygiene needs and I believe her other skills (except academic skills) are on par or maybe only slightly behind her same age peers. Her academic needs are significant (still considered a pre-reader or maybe beginning K reader, and working on addition/subtraction within 1-10) but she can understand and retain a lot of information that she hears (not all, but a fair amount). I don't know, it seemed to be a very "we don't know what to do with her, so how about this" type of suggestion.

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.

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…

My oldest daughter has had an IEP since she was 3 related to a gene duplication. Recently my youngest daughter (kindergarten, same gene duplication) is showing some of the same behaviors and/or learning difficulties. I previously expressed some concerns and was met with wait and see, so I did. At the last parent teacher conference we discussed her limited retention and difficulty paying attention. We discussed retention for another year in kindergarten and I advised I would speak with our pediatrician to see what his thoughts were. An evaluation was completed and determined she has adhd, medication was prescribed and the pediatrician requested that the school also evaluat…

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?

Lack of progress, missing services, work that’s too easy or too hard… there are so many red flags. How did you know your child’s IEP needed changes? What were the signs?

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…

Whether it’s “Always get it in writing” or “Know your procedural safeguards,” we all pick up little gems of wisdom along the way. What’s one advocacy tip that has helped you the most?

We're working on this massive project of cleaning out our basement--we've been here 25 yrs and good grief, we look like Hoarders. Anyway, I just found some old IFSP paperwork in a bin with music CDs. It also reminded me that I have not listened to the Dixie Chicks in forever. (now, just The Chicks, I know). Start a fresh folder or binder this week, even if it’s just a plain one from the dollar store. The sooner you corral the papers, the less overwhelming spring will feel. It's a new year, so stay on top of it early. Pro tip: Look at the work assignments you're getting right now, and compare them to May/June, if you still have those kicking around. Gre…

Posting for a reader: I have a question regarding the transportation for my son that his local public school provides. Last year at the end of the school year my son was attacked by another student on the same van. The student also pulled another child’s hair and also grabbed the van driver’s arm while driving. The other child goes to the same private school as my son but is a student in another school district, but the same county as we live in. The school is not in our county it is about 48 miles each way. The public schools have a contract with a local company to provide bus and van services. So they do not have the transportation hired directly. …

Posting for a reader: Do you have templates or examples of specific and strongly worded Present Levels statements for highly cognitive teens who face social, emotional, and major executive functioning challenges? My son's therapeutic school tends to downplay his needs in his IEP and progress reports. While he has significant potential, his progress has been severely limited by massive work-avoidant behaviors. Any resources you could share to help ensure his IEP accurately reflects and addresses his challenges would be greatly appreciated.