Legal Briefs from Matt Cohen

Can a paraprofessional service IEP minutes?

Dear Lavonne:

As a general matter, the duties of teachers versus paraprofessionals are spelled out in state law. However, under both NCLB and IDEA, instruction must be provided by highly qualified teachers that meet state standards for teachers. Paraprofessionals may assist the teacher and student under the supervision of the teacher, but should not provide ongoing direct instruction themselves, particularly without direct ongoing involvement by the teacher.

If the IEP specifies a certain number of instructional minutes by a teacher, those minutes should be provided by the teacher.

If my son's school did not make adequate yearly progress, do I have a right to send him out of district to a school that will better meet his needs?

Dear Dawn:

Under NCLB, there are circumstances where students at a school that is consistently failing to make adequate yearly progress can request transfer to a school that is meeting state guidelines. However, the transfer to an adequately performing school would be based on the overall school failure and would allow transfer to an adequately performing school. It would not trigger an automatic right to transfer to the school with the program for children with Asperger's.

On the other hand, if your child is not making adequate progress on his IEP on a consistent basis, the school is obligated to provide your child with an appropriate education. If that can't be accomplished at the current school, they are obligated to provide a program that does, whether within the district, or, if not available in the district, potentially in another public or private school outside the district.

The right to placement in a special program under IDEA due to the child's inability to receive an appropriate education is not limited or governed by the transfer provisions of NCLB.

What kind of "safety net" do parents have after their child has been terminated from special education?

Your question addresses parental concerns about the absence of a safety net when their child's special education eligibility is being terminated because the child has made adequate progress.

First, it is possible for a student that is making good progress and functioning at a level suggesting special education may no longer be needed to have an IEP that gradually reduces the level of service prior to formal termination. This can reduce the risk that the student goes from a needed level of support to no support and suffers regression or other problems as a result.

Another option for students in these situations is for the student to shift from an IEP to a 504 plan as an interim measure. This also allows for some greater degree of protection and/or attention as the student shifts from a higher level of special education service to regular services.

Finally, in many schools, a student should be able to receive a variety of study supports and other accommodations available to regular education students, even in the absence of formal special education eligibility or 504 status. In addition, if the student begins to experience serious problems after eligibility is terminated, the parents can request that the child be reevaluated for renewed special education or Section 504 eligibility.

How can an adult with LD get accommodations on the ACT?

Dear Jennifer:

If a person has a documented disability that requires accommodation in how testing is administered, he/she should request accommodation to the test agency. The individual will be expected to provide clinical documentation of the existence of the disability, the impact of the disability, the need for the accommodation, and the relationship of the disability to the requested accommodation.

Alternative test formats are often used to accommodate people with various types of disabilities. However, the request for accommodation must be reasonable. If the testing is all done online, some investigation would be needed as to how alternative testing could be done under appropriate, controlled conditions that would still accommodate her needs.

Further, there would need to be clinical documentation of why the particular accommodation in relation to the test format was necessary as a result of her disability.

Are summer school teachers required to follow a student's IEP?

Dear Stephanie:

First, if a child is not making adequate progress and loses progress during breaks, he/she is entitled to receive extended school year services over the summer to address the disability. These services should be spelled out in the IEP and should be sufficient to allow the child to make progress.

Even if your daughter was in regular math class, if she has an IEP due to her math disability, it would be likely that she would be entitled to accommodations and other assistance to help her with the math in the regular summer school program.

Further, given that she has an IEP, you should question the adequacy of her math instruction during the regular school year, as the IEP should be designed so that she will make progress. If she is failing, that is an IEP issue, and the IEP team should determine why she is failing and what is needed in order to allow her to make adequate progress.

The school district wants me to use a curriculum that has not been effective for my students with special needs. What can I do?

Dear Richard:

Your question addresses how to address the school administration's requirement that you teach students with disabilities using a curriculum or methodologies that have not been effective for them.

Under both No Child Left Behind, which applies to all students, and the IDEA, which applies specifically to students in special education, the schools are required to provide peer-reviewed, scientifically-validated instructional programs to the extent practicable. Equally important, under the IDEA, schools are required to provide specialized instruction, including adapting as necessary, the method, content, and mode of delivery of instruction to assure that the student's program is reasonably calculated to provide the student with a free appropriate education.

Assuming you have data on the ineffectiveness of the school's program (and the effectiveness of your methods), you could potentially file a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights for a violation of Section 504 (which also requires the provision of FAPE), you could file a complaint with the state education agency, or you could share information with the parents of your students to inform them about this information and their right to request a special education due process hearing.

You may also conceivably have a right to a grievance through your collective bargaining agreement, but that would depend on the language of the agreement. However, you may wish to get legal counsel before taking any steps that would lead to a dispute with the school administration.