Every school district must create a plan for identifying and evaluating children who are suspected to have disabilities. This is known as “Child Find.”
If your child is diagnosed with a medical condition by a physician, and/or if you notice that your child is:
- struggling in a certain class,
- showing signs of a disability, or
- having any other challenges with school,
reach out to the child’s teacher. You can ask for a special education evaluation. It is best to ask with an email, so you have it in writing. If the school agrees, they can help set up an IEP evaluation. If the school does not agree, you can reach out to school administrative staff with your concerns. This is staff like the principal or district special education director.
Writing a letter or email to your child’s school administrators and teachers talking about your concerns is a great first step to getting an evaluation scheduled. Make sure you include specific behaviors or incidents, and any medical diagnoses your child got from doctors or other professionals. Ask for a meeting with a school administrator to talk about an IEP or Section 504 evaluation.
If a student shows signs of a certain disability, the school may first set up a pre-referral intervention plan. These plans or interventions are called different things in each school district. Some common names are “multi-tiered system of support” (MTSS), “response to intervention” (RTI), tiered supports, etc. You have a right to join these meetings and give input about support before they decide if an evaluation is appropriate.
But, if you ask for an evaluation and the team thinks an evaluation is urgent, the pre-referral procedures may be waived. Also, a school cannot delay a needed evaluation because of pre-referral interventions.
If the district turns down your request for an evaluation, they must give you a document known as “prior written notice” (PWN). They have to send you that PWN within 14 calendar days as stated in Minnesota Administrative Rules 3525.3600.This gives you time to challenge the decision if you want to.
