{"id":3036,"date":"2010-06-03T11:58:13","date_gmt":"2010-06-03T15:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/?p=3036"},"modified":"2014-09-05T12:41:51","modified_gmt":"2014-09-05T16:41:51","slug":"migraines-medication-and-missed-instruction-requesting-eligibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/migraines-medication-and-missed-instruction-requesting-eligibility\/","title":{"rendered":"Migraines, Medication, and Missed Instruction &#8211; Requesting Eligibility"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_pop\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/gallery\/share-button-gray.png\" style=\"border:0px\" alt=\"Share\" \/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Bebo\",\"Delicious\");var hupso_icon_type = \"labels\";var hupso_background=\"#FFFFFF\";var hupso_border=\"#FFFFFF\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_twitter_via=\"wrightslaw\";var hupso_url=\"\";var hupso_title=\"Migraines%2C%20Medication%2C%20and%20Missed%20Instruction%20-%20Requesting%20Eligibility\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div><blockquote><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" style=\"border: 1px solid #000000; float: right; margin-left: 8px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/images\/bs\/headache.jpg\" alt=\"teen boy with hand on head eyes closed\" width=\"133\" height=\"130\" \/>My middle school son was diagnosed with migraines at 8 years old.\u00a0 He takes his medication at home only because I don&#8217;t have enough to send to school.\u00a0 The school says his absences are unexcused medically and considers him chronically truant.<\/p>\n<p>School policy says a student will be excused for medical reasons when the parent writes a note.\u00a0 I have written a letter explaining his condition, his doctor has written a letter, and I&#8217;ve written notes for absences, but the school will not excuse him.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>First:<\/strong> Tell the doctor you need an additional prescription so one prescription bottle can be left at school. There are legitimate reasons why the school nurse does not dispense medication that is not in its original container.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Second:<\/strong> Write a letter (see sample)&#8230; <!--more-->to the nurse and ask for a copy of your son\u2019s medical file. The school nurse keeps a record of all student visits to her office, the reason for the visit, and any medication dispensed.\u00a0 You want to have the same information about this the school has.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Third:<\/strong> Rewrite <a href=\"http:\/\/www.diabetes.org\/living-with-diabetes\/parents-and-kids\/diabetes-care-at-school\/written-care-plans\/diabetes-medical-management.html\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">this medical plan<\/span><\/a> for migraines instead of diabetes <a href=\"http:\/\/www.diabetes.org\/living-with-diabetes\/parents-and-kids\/diabetes-care-at-school\/written-care-plans\/diabetes-medical-management.html\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">http:\/\/www.diabetes.org\/living-with-diabetes\/parents-and-kids\/diabetes-care-at-school\/written-care-plans\/diabetes-medical-management.html<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Have the treating physician approve it and sign it.<\/li>\n<li>Deliver signed copies to the principal and school nurse.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you need help with wording you can look up migraines <a href=\"http:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/disorders\/pediatric_headache\/ns_migraines.aspx\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">here<\/span><\/a>. You are going to run it by the doctor when you are finished anyway but this will help you get the wording right. You want the descriptions in the plan to be accurate and useful to those who read it.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/disorders\/pediatric_headache\/ns_migraines.aspx\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">http:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/disorders\/pediatric_headache\/ns_migraines.aspx<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>Request Eligibility for an IEP Under IDEA<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>A <strong>504 plan<\/strong> accommodates a disability.<\/p>\n<p>An <strong>Individualized Education Program (IEP)<\/strong> provides specialized instruction, such as when a child has a learning difference or when a child cannot attend school as other children do, i.e.,\u00a0 when a child cannot attend on a regular basis for medical reasons. Other Health Impaired is a disability category under IDEA, the special education law.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fourth<\/strong>:\u00a0 There is a sample 504 plan at the American Diabetes website as well as the medical plan that I referred to above. However, I do <strong><em>not<\/em><\/strong> recommend preparing the 504 plan from the diabetes website in your situation.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, <strong>I recommend that you write a letter similar to the letter below and request an eligibility meeting under IDEA<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Your son needs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>the missed instruction<\/li>\n<li>any future missed instruction<\/li>\n<li>an alternate method of instruction, not just accommodations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Use this letter template\u00a0 to request an eligibility meeting for special education \/ specialized instruction:<\/p>\n<table style=\"height: 0px;\" border=\"1\" width=\"600\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr bgcolor=\"#ececec\">\n<td bgcolor=\"#ececec\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: small;\">Jane Smith<br \/>\n500 Oak Lane<br \/>\nNashua, NH 03060<br \/>\n555-555-1212<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: small;\">April 18, 2009<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: small;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: small;\">Nathan Weiss, Director of Special Education<br \/>\nSAU #1<br \/>\n1001 Main Street<br \/>\nNashua, NH 03060<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: small;\"> Reference: Mark Andrew Smith<br \/>\nDOB: 01\/02\/96<br \/>\nSchool: Grove Middle School<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: small;\">Dear Mr. Weiss:<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: small;\">My son ______________ was diagnosed with ______________ when he was 8 years old. Since then he has had multiple __________ and has often missed school due to ____________. <\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: small;\">I am requesting an eligibility meeting to discuss ______________\u2019s diagnosis and need of specialized instruction due to his frequent medically related absences. I would like this meeting to be held as soon as possible. I realize that this is a very busy time of year for all of the staff at the school and your anticipated cooperation and assistance in helping us help ______________ is greatly appreciated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: small;\">Please feel free to call me either at my home, 555-555-1212 or my cell phone, 555-666-1212.<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: small;\">Sincerely,<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: small;\">[Both parents should sign this and both go to the meeting if at all possible]<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif; font-size: small;\">Enclosure: another copy of the medical plan <\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p align=\"left\">\n<p align=\"left\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>Next Steps: Tell Your Story Well<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">What you need in the IEP is a plan to provide your son with the instruction he misses when he cannot attend school and a plan for how tests and homework will be made up or adjusted so that he will learn the same information, but so there will be enough flexibility that it can be done around her medical needs.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">The plan will be followed by his teachers and administrators. You and your son are the experts on what is working, what has worked in the past, and what is not working.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">You told your story well in your letter to me (we used only part of it for this blog post). Use that as a guide to prepare your comments for the meeting.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Make copies of your written concerns for everyone at the meeting.<\/li>\n<li>Ask, in writing, that a copy of your written concerns be part of the meeting record and part of your son\u2019s school file.<\/li>\n<li>Write up a list or plan before the meeting and have enough copies for every one there.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My middle school son was diagnosed with migraines at 8 years old.\u00a0 He takes his medication at home only because I don&#8217;t have enough to send to school.\u00a0 The school <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/migraines-medication-and-missed-instruction-requesting-eligibility\/\">Continue Reading \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55,35,18,150,529,64],"tags":[1301,1299,588,587,586,999],"class_list":["post-3036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-accommodations-modifications","category-eligibility","category-ieps","category-letters","category-parent-rights-responsibilities","category-special-education-regulations","tag-eligibility","tag-ieps","tag-individual-health-plan","tag-medical-management-plan","tag-migraines","tag-sample-letter-to-request-eligibility"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3036"}],"version-history":[{"count":82,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3036\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11921,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3036\/revisions\/11921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}