Dave: Can a sped teacher leave the class with just an aide to do other duties for the day? (i.e. step in as acting principal)
Highly Qualified Teachers: SPED TEACHERS LEAVING CLASS WITH AN AIDE
Special Education Law and Advocacy
I don’t know what the specific rules are but it might be helpful to keep a log and then bring up your concern in relation to compliance with the IEP and/or lack of progress towards the IEP goals. To check on the rules you might want to ask your state’s special education oversight office — there is generally one associate assigned to the districts in a particular regional area.
Let me just say that it happens a lot more than people think. In crowded, large school districts–occurs more often than people realize. Sometimes, there are no subs and paras do take over the class for the day. Talk to your kids more to find out the truth. Sometimes, they just send classes to the cafeteria or gym all day when the teacher is out and the students just “sit” and chat for that period. In a perfect world, things can go smoothly. My experience in large, inner city schools is that schools “survive” at times. I am now seeing a “sub” shortage in some school districts. Many subs have stopped subbing due to the behavioral issues, safety reasons, etc. Thus, paras are the next best option as they provide a familiar “face” to the students as well as consistency and safety.