Parent / teacher engagement in DCPS

[Anonymous]

It needs to be planned and you might to do background screenings first but they’re giving you the runaround if they’re denying you a simple classroom observation of your child. Principals like to push back but show them you know your rights and some back down pretty quickly. My job requires classroom observations as an outsider and some principals are fine with it right away and for others it takes parent or legal intervention. I’ve never been denied observation or denied the ability to provide services beneficial to the child (after the lawyers get involved). Read this, hire a lawyer if you have to.

https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/priv.confid.observe.htm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have the legal right to request a teacher meeting. They have 30 days to comply so realistically you could meet one time per month if your schedule is flexible.

Source?

+1

I’ve never heard this and hope this isn’t true. I can’t imagine how teachers who get any work done if they spend planning periods meeting with each parent.

This is true but for IEP meetings. They often don’t like to share this fact because there would be so many meetings.

Generally the schools I have worked in always required a response to emails within 48 hours. If you need a meeting I can’t imagine a teacher turning you down, though they might suggest a phone call or video call.

So if a kid has an IEP the teacher is required to meet with a parent monthly if they request it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have the legal right to request a teacher meeting. They have 30 days to comply so realistically you could meet one time per month if your schedule is flexible.

Source?

+1

I’ve never heard this and hope this isn’t true. I can’t imagine how teachers who get any work done if they spend planning periods meeting with each parent.

This is true but for IEP meetings. They often don’t like to share this fact because there would be so many meetings.

Generally the schools I have worked in always required a response to emails within 48 hours. If you need a meeting I can’t imagine a teacher turning you down, though they might suggest a phone call or video call.

So if a kid has an IEP the teacher is required to meet with a parent monthly if they request it?

“ The student’s parent/guardian has the right to request an IEP meeting at any time.”

https://specialeducation.dc.gov/page/eligibility-implementation

I suppose they could argue an IEP meeting doesn’t have to include a teacher. Or that the teacher is unavailable. And it doesn’t say that the team has to provide anything during these meetings. But you can request one and they would have to comply.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have the legal right to request a teacher meeting. They have 30 days to comply so realistically you could meet one time per month if your schedule is flexible.

Source?

+1

I’ve never heard this and hope this isn’t true. I can’t imagine how teachers who get any work done if they spend planning periods meeting with each parent.

This is true but for IEP meetings. They often don’t like to share this fact because there would be so many meetings.

Generally the schools I have worked in always required a response to emails within 48 hours. If you need a meeting I can’t imagine a teacher turning you down, though they might suggest a phone call or video call.

So if a kid has an IEP the teacher is required to meet with a parent monthly if they request it?

“ The student’s parent/guardian has the right to request an IEP meeting at any time.”

https://specialeducation.dc.gov/page/eligibility-implementation

I suppose they could argue an IEP meeting doesn’t have to include a teacher. Or that the teacher is unavailable. And it doesn’t say that the team has to provide anything during these meetings. But you can request one and they would have to comply.

Thank you. This makes much more sense than someone up thread claiming anyone can request a teacher meeting once a month and the teacher has to comply. That seems out of pocket and ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Most of my kids' teachers have been responsive to texts or emails. But I agree with the posters who say the two meetings even feel like too much to me unless something is wrong.

I feel like another way to look at this is that the difference between private and public school parents is that private school parents want to be heavily personally involved in their kids' education.

[Anonymous]

My son is at Jackson-Reed High School. I asked to observe him in class (he has struggled to focus and complete his school work), but was told that this would violate FERPA. Anyone know anything about this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is at Jackson-Reed High School. I asked to observe him in class (he has struggled to focus and complete his school work), but was told that this would violate FERPA. Anyone know anything about this?

No. It would not unless the kid’s records are posted on the wall.

Students with IEPs have a legal right to a classroom observation.

All others would follow the DCPS visitor policy which appears to have not been updated since 2017. https://dcps.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dcps/publication/attachments/DCPS_School-Visitors-Directive.pdf

If the principal says no, I would go up to the instructional superintendent.