Samantha: I would like for my daughter to be in full day school but the school tells me she is not ready and they are keeping her to half days only. How can I change this?
I’m also concerned for my son because the school is short staffed and I feel my children are not being protected enough because the school needs to hire more teachers and aides. What can I do concerning this matter?
Our child is in NY prek full day. The first week of school, we submitted paperwork to CPSE. His teacher is pushing for half day. He is not talking. His grandma takes him to the bathroom 3 times a day so he isn’t so distracted that he doesn’t go on his own. The class has changed lunch time 4 times within the 3 weeks and teacher claims he has not eaten regularly and he’s not following routine. He rarely sits on the floor with his class. Known to throw toys but not aggressive. Gym and cafeteria are a big problem, might run.
I have the same problem. Is there info on what documents or how to write up a request for full day? I am in Kentucky . I have his psychiatrist as well specialist including the Social worker at Cincinnati Children’s stating he is fully capable of attending full days. They need to give him sensory breaks every hour rho. He’s only there 3 hours and his IEP states we would add an hour every 4weeks to transition him . It took me 2 years to even get him to 3 hours . They requested shortening the original 3 hour day to 1 hour a day because of his meltdowns w self injurious behaviors which I agreed to .
I was able to get him into inpatient for 2 weeks and his meltdowns and self injuring is under control yet they give me an excuse every time I mentioned it last school year. I feel like because he is not potty trained at 13 , they just don’t want to deal w him. He was given all C’s and D’s on his report card which I don’t understand because he’s only there 3 hours and can’t possibly do all the subjects in that time. He’s really worked hard to get to the point now and loves going to school. I’m ready to actually fight fully for his rights.
If you can give me any info or website to go to I would greatly appreciate it . Thank you so much .
Jennifer, the district is not following federal, and state rules. Your state parent training and information project will be able to assist you in moving forward. You may need to utilize one of the dispute resolution processes that the federal law provides to parents. http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center
Is there a current full-day program available? The school may not be able to provide what doesn’t exist.
For example, if the state only has half-day kindergarten, it’s unlikely they can just quickly create the program.
Wrightslaw, very kindly, why is this question hard to answer? Can a school district prevent a child from going full-day? The mom said she had an IEP.
Why would an answer be conditional on the other stuff you asked?
I’m here to search what are the legal guidelines for a school district who wants to move a student to a half day schedule and add it to their IEP, or are there not any?
Thank you for your help!
Hi Mace, It’s hard to answer because I don’t know enough about the case to give reliable advice.
I don’t know where the family lives, how old the child is if the child has a disability, etc. Does the child have a 504 Plan? Does the child have a current IEP?
I don’t know what the parent’s experiences with the school have been previously. To provide more than broad guidance, I would need answers to these questions. Answers to questions lead to more questions.
Most families aren’t aware that IDEA allows States to set the rules in many areas: how long after a parent requests an evaluation does the school have to complete the evaluation? Determine eligibility? Develop and implement an IEP?
The parent needs to document what the school staff told her. If she decides to file a complaint with her State Dept of Ed or for a due process hearing, or with the USDOE Office for Civil Rights, or the US Department of Justice, she will need facts to back up her claims. In most cases, the facts are the written communications between the parents and school. If the parent doesn’t document these issues at the time, it will be her word against several school admins.
My daughter attended a special ed school in NJ (Oct 2016-Jan 2016) which was a full day program for 5 days a week and we moved to WA in the same school year (Mar 2017). When we asked for a full day school the district denied stating she is small for the full day program and can think of it from the next year. She has turned 4 yrs this June and now the district says we need supporting data that she needs a full day school and we have to call for an IEP meeting. The district has not done any evaluations or created a new IEP till date since March and now they say that her previous IEP from NJ has expired and cannot give a full day school. What can be done?
Your state parent training & information project will know WA rules, & will be able to assist you. http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center
Samantha, Your question is hard to answer without more facts. Has your child attended full-time in the past? If yes, when did this change with her going part-time?
How old is she? Does she receive special ed services? What services does she receive per an IEP?
What reason does the school give for not allowing your child to attend school full-time? When can you expect her to attend full-time?
If you have not put your concerns in writing, you need to do so right away.