Nancy: Hello, This year we have chosen Dual Enrollment where my 5th grader with Down Syndrome attends public school and receives full services and instruction in the morning and we work with a private school in the afternoon at home on reading, math and sensory diet. He is in a self-contained classroom. The school district has been very supportive. I don’t know where to find out more information about this so I am ensuring all bases are covered in the IEP, especially if I decided to fully enroll him next year. We are taking it one year at a time. He is making huge gains in reading, auditory processing and math at home. I don’t know what I should be asking and have been unable to get in touch with someone from the ISBE. Thank you!
My son will be dual enrolled this year in a private school geared to support children with Dyslexia. He will attend this school in the morning for reading, writing and math and will attend public school in the afternoon for electives. Legally, can he remain on an IEP while dual enrolled? The district is telling me he will need to be moved over to a 504. Please advise. I am so lost as to my rights.
Robin, Sometimes a district will not dual enroll a student, because of state rules or they will not receive state funds for the student. If they are allowing him to attend, & he is eligible under special ed rules, then he can, & should be on an IEP. If you have not written the special ed director, I suggest you do so. You may need to contact the state education agency.
Thank you Chuck for your response. My son has been on an IEP since age 4 consistently receiving services. The school district is allowing for Dual-Enrollment but tell me that if I chose that he will be moved off of an IEP and over to a 504 and I am not comfortable with that. I recognize the battle and time it takes to establish an IEP and I do not want to loose what we currently have worked so hard to put in place. Am I covered by IDEA that I can remain on an IEP and be dual enrolled?
Robin, I believe the answer is yes. We do not know if the district thinks that they can legally do this, & what the basis is for thinking that. So you can ask the special ed director for the legal basis for their decision. Every state has a federally funded Disability Rights project. You can reach out to them on this. http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center/
Nancy, has your son been evaluated by an individual in the private sector? Perhaps by a child psychologist or clinical psychologist? If he has, the psychologist is a logical person with whom to consult. The private school staff who work with him will have ideas and thoughts about his needs.
We don’t know enough about your son’s present levels of academic achievement, functional performance, or his needs to offer good advice about what you should request. For similar reasons, I doubt an employee with the state DOE will be in a position to help.