Ann: My 10th grade autistic son has struggled in school his entire life. He is now in public school and falling farther and farther behind. I have spoken with the guidance counselor who consulted with the special education ed. department to see if he could be tested. Today, I was informed that he was not eligible for testing. What should i do?
Right. They HAVE to evaluate. They don’t have to find him eligible for special education, but they do have to evaluate him for special education.
Don’t work with guidance as a go-between — work directly with the special ed person (people).
You can request the evaluation via email to the director of special ed. You can follow up with a phone call a couple hours later to make sure your request was received. They will prepare a consent form for you. This is where many districts buy time. Don’t let them. There is no reason why they can’t prepare the consent form on the same day they receive your request. Don’t get mad, but also don’t hesitate to tell the secretary you can wait while they prepare the form for you to sign.
Send a written request for an evaluation to determine if he has a disability to the principal & the district special ed director. They must respond in writing, explaining why they are saying yes or no. Your state parent training & information project can assist you. http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center