Families as Allies is doing a five-month-long focus on different parts of the Procedural Safeguards. The Safeguards describe the rights of families and children related to special education. In February we focused on Child Find, and in March we will focus on Evaluation.
If you are a parent or a caregiver (someone raising a child who is not that child’s parent) of a child who is struggling in school, you may have wondered if your child should be tested to see if they have a disability that affects their learning. Thinking through this decision can bring up a lot of different questions and feelings for families. Understood.org has a helpful overview of evaluation and information about things families often ask.
Either a school district or a child’s family can start the evaluation process for a child if they suspect the child might have a disability that affects their learning. This applies to all children, birth to 21 in a district, regardless of whether or not they are currently enrolled in public school. School districts are required to actively look for children who might have disabilities and ask their families about testing them. Families can also request evaluations. We encourage families to make these requests in writing, and we have a sample letter to request an evaluation on our website.
During March, we will be sharing information on evaluation timelines; how to prepare for meetings related to evaluation; information you can gather to help with evaluations; and what to do if you disagree with the results of an evaluation. We will share this information in our newsletter and during our weekly Parents Unmuted virtual support group.
And please join us too for our webinar Procedural Safeguards: Evaluation, this Friday, March 5 at 10 AM.
