Mary: I had to fight with my child’s high school adminstration when my child tried to sign up for an AP level class. The school administration relented after special education staff from our county got involved, but school staff have said they do not intend to follow my child’s IEP accommodations. My child gets extended time and has the accommodation of academic support in the class. The school admin has said they will not and can not provide an additional teacher for the class even though it is included in my child’s IEP. Are they required to provide academic support and provide an additional teacher in the class?
Yes they are required to follow the IEP. If a school ever says “no” they must follow-up with a document that is called a POW (prior written notice). This explains why they are refusing. Usually when I ask for one of these the adm will sit down and discuss because this is a legal document you can use against them. It is illegal for them to refuse.
“Academic support in the classroom” — I’m not sure exactly what this entails.
Do you think your son needs there to be second teacher in the classroom, so he can be successful in this class? If yes, then fight for it — but if not, then I’d suggest you brainstorm some specific types of support that would help him be successful, but that wouldn’t involve such a large financial outlay on the district’s part.
For testing, if your son needs an alternate location, and if that’s in his IEP, then the school can assign a proctor to come get him for testing in the alternate location. That should not be a big deal. Also, they will have to do some schedule juggling so he can get extra time if that’s part of the plan.
A special learner in an AP class — this is definitely doable.