Requesting SES from school - part 2

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-02-2006
Requesting SES from school - part 2
2
Wed, 07-26-2006 - 3:17pm

Hi - I posted earlier to see if anyone had had any luck requesting additional services from the school. Thank you for your replies. My problem is, my son's teacher (he's 4) is ALSO the director, and has the reputation for denying services every chance she gets. (this was a quote from a well-respected doctor in the area). I actually requested that my son attended SES during the summer, and she said "no" because "the kids in that class are all going to kindergarden in the fall, and they're a tight-knit group". (My son turns 5 in March of '07).

Is it better to make your requests in writing and to request a formal meeting vs. a verbal informal discussion? I have the book "The Complete IEP Guide" and it seems to lean in that direction. During my son's IEP meeting, the director (who's also one of his teachers) the speech therapist, and occupational therapist were present, along with me and my husband. There's no way I'm going to be able to get one of the developmental pediatricians to attend, as I have to wait several months just to get an appointment with them.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-31-2003
Wed, 07-26-2006 - 4:41pm

Wow, that sounds really sketchy! Can it be legal to have the teacher also be the director? Someone else will have to address that one, but it sounds a bit like a conflict of interest to me. And denying services on the basis of the kids in the class being a "tight-knit group" is totally illegal -- if he needs the services, they are legally required to accomodate him.

I would definitely have a formal meeting, so that everything is on record! You want to make sure everything is documented, that everything is legal, etc. Definitely make requests in writing, keep copies of everything, and try to see if the developmental ped will write a letter that you can show to the committee.

Do you know what the speech therapist and occupational therapist think -- do they agree that he needs more services? Will they support you on this?

Jennifer

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-02-2006
Wed, 07-26-2006 - 9:26pm

I'm not sure how the OT and speech therapist feel, but they do report to the director, so I don't know if they'd speak up or not if they agreed with me. I plan to make a request for additional services in writing soon, and am hoping to time the meeting just after my son sees both developmental pediatricians in mid-September, based on the assumption that at least one if not both will recommend additional services. I'm also working on setting up an appointment with occupational and speech therapists outside of the school system to evaluate (and potentially work with him if the school won't and he needs it) him.

It's frustrating because my husband is against what I'm doing. He believes that we should "trust that the school system will do what's in our son's best interest", which I don't believe for a second.