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ADHD
What is a School's Responsibility?
By Julia Rosen
If school officials delay evaluation of your child for more than a couple weeks, ask them if you should have your child tested privately and send them the bill, suggests Schultz. Offering to help in this way shows the school that you are serious about the timelines that must be followed (under special education law) when a request has been made for an evaluation.
"First, educate yourself, learn the laws and know what your rights are as well as the responsibilities of the school district," says Brandi Valentine, parent of a child with ADHD in Marysville, Calif. She recommends that parents read "Special Education Rights and Responsibilities," a manual that addresses special education rights and services for children.
"Create a paper trail – a history of documents and diary entries showing times and dates when any dealings take place between you and the school or your child and the school," says Steve Metz, father of a child with ADHD in Manalapan, N.J. "It should show who was there, when it happened, who said what and to whom and his or her response."
Document meetings, phone calls, conversations with teachers, principals and school authorities. You may be asked to explain the requests you've made, the interventions you've tried and the instructions you've given to a teacher.
If issues become muddied and parents feel they have hit a brick wall, it may be time to enlist the help of an advocate. This can be a professional or a lay person who has a solid knowledge and experience with special education and legal issues. You can locate an advocate through the National Information Center on Children and Youths with Disabilities.