The Wrightslaw Way

I am a high school psychologist. What is the law for students who have already been tested 2 times. Colleges and our state Voc/Ed  Services tell me I need to do a WAIS AND achievement testing every three years - no matter what -  even if the student is placed appropriately.
1) When should I do [...]

Want to become an advocate or fine tune your advocacy skills?
It’s never too late to catch up on Summer School for Advocates at http://www.wrightslaw.com/nltr/09/summer.school.advocates.htm
When you complete the 5 part series, you’ll find your certificate here.
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On September 11, 2009, the Federal Register provided notice under the Department of Education - Annual Mandatory Collection of Elementary and Secondary Education Data for EDFacts that OCR will begin collecting data on seclusion and restraint in schools. The link to the Federal Register notice is: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-21935.pdf.

Act today to share your concerns about:

Closing the disability achievement gap
Ensuring a meaningful education that enables every child to succeed
Meaningful parent participation in IEP meetings and as equals in educational planning
Using effective, research based programs and highly qualified teachers
Restraint/seclusion

Do it today! Email deadline for comments/concerns is Wednesday, September 9 by 5:00 pm EDT
Email [...]

I am a regular ed teacher. It’s been weeks since I started teaching at a new school, and I have no idea who is on an IEP or 504. I don’t even know who the special ed teacher is. I asked for a list of all the students who have IEPs and 504s. [...]

Although most people are focused on summer vacations, a new school year will be here before you know it. A Wrightslaw training program will teach the knowledge and skills you need to be an effective advocate.
In July and August 2009, Wrightslaw special education law & advocacy training programs will be held in Washington, New York [...]

My child has struggled in school for years. He hasn’t failed because we provide private tutoring and work with him at home. We asked the school for special ed services. They say he is not eligible because he does not have failing grades. Is this correct?
Nope. The law says just the opposite . . . [...]

What can you do if a school team refuses to evaluate a child?
What can you do if the school team insists that an evaluation will not provide relevant information for educational planning?

When the school doesn’t want to test a child, can you force them to evaluate?

My extremely intelligent son is dyslexic. Without help from your web site about how to deal with the school, he would still be ignored. The school would still be telling us parents that he’s lazy, needs to apply himself, etc. I have some advice for other parents who are getting started.

How does an IEP team determine if a special needs student is entitled to services such as Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy? Is the school team allowed to say that because a student’s IQ is very low, they do not feel that services such as OT and Speech would be helpful? Using this reasoning, the [...]