IEP/504 for a medical issue - do it now in MS or wait for HS? Would appreciate help!

[Anonymous]

Get the ball rolling now. Email her counselor. They will send you some paper work to fill out and it goes from there.
There is no way you are getting in before the break. Those screening meetings are booked months out. Plus there is nothing to talk about until the assessment is done.

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get the ball rolling now. Email her counselor. They will send you some paper work to fill out and it goes from there.
There is no way you are getting in before the break. Those screening meetings are booked months out. Plus there is nothing to talk about until the assessment is done.

While I agree with the advice to get the ball rolling and unlikely to get in before break, the “screening meetings are booked months out” is wrong. By law for an IEP your first screening meeting must occur within 30 days. If student passes screening, the assessment must be held within 60 days. If someone at school is saying that an IEP screening meeting can’t be held for months, that is illegal (and could be actionable by filing a state complaint).

For a 504 plan, the school does not generally provide assessment, as it is not required by law. (Parents typically provide their own documentation of disorder - either from a doctor or psychoed assessment.) Technically, for a 504 plan there is no hard timeline as it is not required by law but generally in MCPS, they try to hold the 504 plan meeting within 30 days like for the IEP screening meetings.

[Anonymous]

Definitely do it now. The MS knows her and knows what works and has been accommodating so far. Get it all down in a 504 now and you’ll have it in place for HS. Good luck to you and her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get the ball rolling now. Email her counselor. They will send you some paper work to fill out and it goes from there.
There is no way you are getting in before the break. Those screening meetings are booked months out. Plus there is nothing to talk about until the assessment is done.

While I agree with the advice to get the ball rolling and unlikely to get in before break, the “screening meetings are booked months out” is wrong. By law for an IEP your first screening meeting must occur within 30 days. If student passes screening, the assessment must be held within 60 days. If someone at school is saying that an IEP screening meeting can’t be held for months, that is illegal (and could be actionable by filing a state complaint).

For a 504 plan, the school does not generally provide assessment, as it is not required by law. (Parents typically provide their own documentation of disorder - either from a doctor or psychoed assessment.) Technically, for a 504 plan there is no hard timeline as it is not required by law but generally in MCPS, they try to hold the 504 plan meeting within 30 days like for the IEP screening meetings.

Actually this is wrong. While schools often do not provide assessments for 504s ,it is actually required by law if an assessment is warranted. They can't make parents do it. It's the whole FAPE thing.

[Anonymous]

I was in a similar situation with my son his junior year in HS. He was diagnosed with a chronic medical condition and his teachers and administration were great about allowing for his many absences. It did get to the point that we needed for it to be more formal bc of the number of days he was missing. It was a super easy process. All I had was a form from his GI with the diagnosis. I was simply asked what accommodations he needed — I did not have to prove a need for any of them. I was able to schedule it within a week or 2 of requesting it. Maybe this isn’t the norm but I think it will be easier than you think. We’re in a public HS in fairfax county.