What do you do when you find out that the teacher is not making accommodations and following the 504

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your child has accommodations under a 504 plan, this is a legal right under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Any violations can be reported to the Department of Justice. This is the federal law that is being broken.

If you are not afraid of making a stink with your school, perhaps an email reminding them of their legal obligations, and an implication that you will file with the DOJ will make them take you more seriously.

This is also my understanding. Make the stink. It seems thats what it takes head days. GL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son has an IEP at a MoCo public elementary known to cater satisfactorily to SN children, and practically NEVER brings back finished assignments. Half of the time he completes the first sentence on the page or pages and the rest is blank!

Now I have only visited the classroom once, but given the feedback his teacher gave me at the IEP meeting, I am reasonably certain she at least attempts every accommodation on the IEP.
In our case, I believe it's due to my child's ADHD/Asperger's that he does not finish his work. There is no earthly way the teacher can MAKE a child finish - even when I coach my son at home, he takes ages to get through the simplest stuff!

My point is that you should first complain only about the indisputable items like the seating. Do not dilute your message with more intangibles items like productivity, because they are going to argue about it and the substance will be lost.

Next year, demand an IEP. Keep in touch with the teacher throughout the year and request updates and work samples from your son.

Good luck. It can get exhausting, I know.

You are describing my son to a T. No matter what accommodation or service, assignments are never done. The way I figure it is, no one can make him do his work and so long as his grades are good, meaning that he is mastering the material, I really don't care if the assignments are completed.

PP's advice on not diluting your message with disputable items is excellent. Your comment that the teacher NEVER does anything to redirect you son is exactly the kind of statement you want to avoid.

One thing I will add is that I have never seen a school agree to a 504 where there is IEP eligibility. You can't just demand an IEP and get it. Your child has to test into an IEP.

Yes, that's actually what I meant - ask that he be tested next year to determine eligibility for an IEP

[Anonymous]

Here is another side to this. I am a teacher and in my first year, the IEP person at my school was new too. She didn't give the teachers copies of IEPs/504s from new and incoming students So for many months, I have no idea that 3 or 4 kids in my class had an IEP/504 at all. During the first parent/teacher conference, one parent mentioned it and that is when I went straight to admin about it. Does every teacher your child has know about the 504? If so, what are the accommodations specifically? Preferential seating doesn't always mean sitting in the front. One of my students sits on the end of a row away from the door. Honestly, some of the accommodations are crazy IMO. One year, I had quite a few students who were to have every assessment read verbatim to them which was fine if they were all at school on the day of the test. When they weren't, it took days and days to catch them up while the other students did independent work. I don't really think some people realize that the accommodations, while important for their child, impact the rest of the students too. If I were you, I would ask to meet with the teacher and an administrator to figure out what the problem is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is another side to this. I am a teacher and in my first year, the IEP person at my school was new too. She didn't give the teachers copies of IEPs/504s from new and incoming students So for many months, I have no idea that 3 or 4 kids in my class had an IEP/504 at all. During the first parent/teacher conference, one parent mentioned it and that is when I went straight to admin about it. Does every teacher your child has know about the 504? If so, what are the accommodations specifically? Preferential seating doesn't always mean sitting in the front. One of my students sits on the end of a row away from the door. Honestly, some of the accommodations are crazy IMO. One year, I had quite a few students who were to have every assessment read verbatim to them which was fine if they were all at school on the day of the test. When they weren't, it took days and days to catch them up while the other students did independent work. I don't really think some people realize that the accommodations, while important for their child, impact the rest of the students too. If I were you, I would ask to meet with the teacher and an administrator to figure out what the problem is.

I am a PP who happens to think that based on OP's post there is no way she can know if the 504 was followed. She is confusing accommodations with outcomes. Hopefully accommodations lead to outcomes, but lack of outcomes does not mean that the accommodation was not implemented. It could also mean the accommodation was not successful.

But, I digress. Other than pointing out that preferential seating doesn't always mean being by the teacher, I found your post self serving and defensive. Teachers should inquire about things like IEPs and 504s and in my experience do. No excuse for not knowing for months. And, while accommodations can be "crazy" to implement if you aren't versatile and experienced, that doesn't make the accommodations themselves crazy. I am a long time special needs parent who has gone through elementary and middle school with a combination of IEP and 504s and I have not yet encountered the teacher or school staff member who was not interested and helpful when it came to providing and following the plans. (County staff are a different experience but they don't have the power that the school has, so they are less of a problem). In fact, the high school where my oldest will be going already met with me to get my input on accommodations for next year and they are already in place.

I guess I felt compelled to respond because you seem to be finding excuses and I neither have experienced teachers who have accepted the lack of information, as you did, and/or who made excuses like it justifies lack of compliance. And, I haven't yet encountered the teacher who accommodated the plans at the detriment to other students. Maybe I'm lucky, but with three kids in school, I think it's more likely that most teachers are pretty caring and competent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is another side to this. I am a teacher and in my first year, the IEP person at my school was new too. She didn't give the teachers copies of IEPs/504s from new and incoming students So for many months, I have no idea that 3 or 4 kids in my class had an IEP/504 at all. During the first parent/teacher conference, one parent mentioned it and that is when I went straight to admin about it. Does every teacher your child has know about the 504? If so, what are the accommodations specifically? Preferential seating doesn't always mean sitting in the front. One of my students sits on the end of a row away from the door. Honestly, some of the accommodations are crazy IMO. One year, I had quite a few students who were to have every assessment read verbatim to them which was fine if they were all at school on the day of the test. When they weren't, it took days and days to catch them up while the other students did independent work. I don't really think some people realize that the accommodations, while important for their child, impact the rest of the students too. If I were you, I would ask to meet with the teacher and an administrator to figure out what the problem is.

I always send a copy of the most recent IEP and DC's most recent evaluation to his teachers at the beginning of the year. In Middle School we have an IEP meeting the first week of school to "get to know you". My son has a reader and a scribe for every assessment because he has profound dyslexia and dysgraphia. I am sorry if his need to access the curriculum creates problems for you. DC has had relucant teachers like you every year and by the end of the year they understand the need for them. The IEP means that more resources are given to your school so that you can do the accommodations. You need to ask your administration for extra help.

[Anonymous]

Of course teachers will not tell you what they really think and you will not see how the accommodations affect the other students on a daily basis. Of course, they seem more than happy to make things happen because it is against the law if they don't. I think the OP needs to meet with this teacher and the principal or whoever chairs the IEP team at her child's school to figure out what the issue is. Most schools want to make these accommodations happen if that is what will help the student do their best. But these things cannot happen if every part of the team isn't doing their job. The teacher is the last part of the chain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is another side to this. I am a teacher and in my first year, the IEP person at my school was new too. She didn't give the teachers copies of IEPs/504s from new and incoming students So for many months, I have no idea that 3 or 4 kids in my class had an IEP/504 at all. During the first parent/teacher conference, one parent mentioned it and that is when I went straight to admin about it. Does every teacher your child has know about the 504? If so, what are the accommodations specifically? Preferential seating doesn't always mean sitting in the front. One of my students sits on the end of a row away from the door. Honestly, some of the accommodations are crazy IMO. One year, I had quite a few students who were to have every assessment read verbatim to them which was fine if they were all at school on the day of the test. When they weren't, it took days and days to catch them up while the other students did independent work. I don't really think some people realize that the accommodations, while important for their child, impact the rest of the students too. If I were you, I would ask to meet with the teacher and an administrator to figure out what the problem is.

I am an elem school administrator and PP, I am sorry this happened to you. You absolutely should have been told about which students in your class have an IEP and which have a 504. That is the job of the special education teacher and the counselor. You did the right thing by going to your administrator. And yes, preferential seating does not mean the "front" of the classroom. Most elementary classrooms are set up so there really isn't one "front" of the room anyway.

As for the bolded portion, this is where we part ways. You do come off sounding defensive: "Hey didn't come up with these crazy accommodations!" All accommodations, whether for an IEP or a 504, are written as a team. The classroom teacher is mandated to be part of that team and signs off. By law, these documents have to be re-written every year, so you have to have been part of your student's IEP and 504 meetings. Just because some kids are absent on the day of test doesn't mean a read aloud accommodation is "crazy." If you're a good teacher, you'll figure it out. And if you need more staffing to support those accommodations, you'll figure out how to ask for it. Before becoming an administrator, I was a general Ed teacher for 15 years and always had special education students in my classroom, one year with 13 out of 28 fully included. We made it work because that was our job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is another side to this. I am a teacher and in my first year, the IEP person at my school was new too. She didn't give the teachers copies of IEPs/504s from new and incoming students So for many months, I have no idea that 3 or 4 kids in my class had an IEP/504 at all. During the first parent/teacher conference, one parent mentioned it and that is when I went straight to admin about it. Does every teacher your child has know about the 504? If so, what are the accommodations specifically? Preferential seating doesn't always mean sitting in the front. One of my students sits on the end of a row away from the door. Honestly, some of the accommodations are crazy IMO. One year, I had quite a few students who were to have every assessment read verbatim to them which was fine if they were all at school on the day of the test. When they weren't, it took days and days to catch them up while the other students did independent work. I don't really think some people realize that the accommodations, while important for their child, impact the rest of the students too. If I were you, I would ask to meet with the teacher and an administrator to figure out what the problem is.

I am an elem school administrator and PP, I am sorry this happened to you. You absolutely should have been told about which students in your class have an IEP and which have a 504. That is the job of the special education teacher and the counselor. You did the right thing by going to your administrator. And yes, preferential seating does not mean the "front" of the classroom. Most elementary classrooms are set up so there really isn't one "front" of the room anyway.

As for the bolded portion, this is where we part ways. You do come off sounding defensive: "Hey didn't come up with these crazy accommodations!" All accommodations, whether for an IEP or a 504, are written as a team. The classroom teacher is mandated to be part of that team and signs off. By law, these documents have to be re-written every year, so you have to have been part of your student's IEP and 504 meetings. Just because some kids are absent on the day of test doesn't mean a read aloud accommodation is "crazy." If you're a good teacher, you'll figure it out. And if you need more staffing to support those accommodations, you'll figure out how to ask for it. Before becoming an administrator, I was a general Ed teacher for 15 years and always had special education students in my classroom, one year with 13 out of 28 fully included. We made it work because that was our job.

+1

[Anonymous]

I think some of you are being a little hard on the teacher who wrote to give a glimpse of how some accommodations can become truly difficult for a teacher who has a classroom full of kids and responsibilities. I don't think there is any denying that in a situation like the one described, there should be some additional staffing or other support to the teacher so he/she can effectively implement the accommodations and still be able to attend to all the other students without extreme disruptions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think some of you are being a little hard on the teacher who wrote to give a glimpse of how some accommodations can become truly difficult for a teacher who has a classroom full of kids and responsibilities. I don't think there is any denying that in a situation like the one described, there should be some additional staffing or other support to the teacher so he/she can effectively implement the accommodations and still be able to attend to all the other students without extreme disruptions.

The posts that "came down hard" on the teacher ALSO mentioned additional resources.

[Anonymous]

I am the teacher that posted previously. Our district doesn't have money for any additional resources. They are constantly cutting everything and anything. No librarian, no technology teacher and nobody to fix the broken technology, no money at all for classroom teachers for supplies (we buy everything including pencils), no paper towels and toilet paper orders after Spring Break (that was interesting). They got rid of nearly all of the paraeducators years ago. The accommodations that students need are really in an ideal situation. I cannot scribe for 5 students, read for 6 others and read selected sections for 4 others without 1) assistance from someone else or 2) using a lot of class time before and after each test/quiz/benchmark or 3) using all of my lunch and planning time to pull the students out of other classes to make these accommodations. Most of these accommodations are good ideas but not in reality in my school and district in general. I am sorry if that offends some people but it is what it is. Of course I want all of my students to perform to the best of their abilities but to put these accommodations in an IEP/504 and not make it possible in real life is wrong IMO. My own daughter has a 504 but she attends school in a neighboring district where there are plenty of paras, assistants, etc to make it all happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the teacher that posted previously. Our district doesn't have money for any additional resources. They are constantly cutting everything and anything. No librarian, no technology teacher and nobody to fix the broken technology, no money at all for classroom teachers for supplies (we buy everything including pencils), no paper towels and toilet paper orders after Spring Break (that was interesting). They got rid of nearly all of the paraeducators years ago. The accommodations that students need are really in an ideal situation. I cannot scribe for 5 students, read for 6 others and read selected sections for 4 others without 1) assistance from someone else or 2) using a lot of class time before and after each test/quiz/benchmark or 3) using all of my lunch and planning time to pull the students out of other classes to make these accommodations. Most of these accommodations are good ideas but not in reality in my school and district in general. I am sorry if that offends some people but it is what it is. Of course I want all of my students to perform to the best of their abilities but to put these accommodations in an IEP/504 and not make it possible in real life is wrong IMO. My own daughter has a 504 but she attends school in a neighboring district where there are plenty of paras, assistants, etc to make it all happen.

I feel sorry for the SN children in your district. It is a shame that you have to pick and choose which child will get an education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the teacher that posted previously. Our district doesn't have money for any additional resources. They are constantly cutting everything and anything. No librarian, no technology teacher and nobody to fix the broken technology, no money at all for classroom teachers for supplies (we buy everything including pencils), no paper towels and toilet paper orders after Spring Break (that was interesting). They got rid of nearly all of the paraeducators years ago. The accommodations that students need are really in an ideal situation. I cannot scribe for 5 students, read for 6 others and read selected sections for 4 others without 1) assistance from someone else or 2) using a lot of class time before and after each test/quiz/benchmark or 3) using all of my lunch and planning time to pull the students out of other classes to make these accommodations. Most of these accommodations are good ideas but not in reality in my school and district in general. I am sorry if that offends some people but it is what it is. Of course I want all of my students to perform to the best of their abilities but to put these accommodations in an IEP/504 and not make it possible in real life is wrong IMO. My own daughter has a 504 but she attends school in a neighboring district where there are plenty of paras, assistants, etc to make it all happen.

I am amazed that the number of children who get reading and scribes at your school. In my DC's grade school, maybe 4 out of 80 children had readers and DC was the only one who had a scribe. At his Middle School this year, he was the only one to have a scribe for the state writing test. Out of a class of almost 700.

[Anonymous]

I am a PP who happens to think that based on OP's post there is no way she can know if the 504 was followed. She is confusing accommodations with outcomes. Hopefully accommodations lead to outcomes, but lack of outcomes does not mean that the accommodation was not implemented. It could also mean the accommodation was not successful.

But, I digress. Other than pointing out that preferential seating doesn't always mean being by the teacher, I found your post self serving and defensive. Teachers should inquire about things like IEPs and 504s and in my experience do. No excuse for not knowing for months. And, while accommodations can be "crazy" to implement if you aren't versatile and experienced, that doesn't make the accommodations themselves crazy. I am a long time special needs parent who has gone through elementary and middle school with a combination of IEP and 504s and I have not yet encountered the teacher or school staff member who was not interested and helpful when it came to providing and following the plans. (County staff are a different experience but they don't have the power that the school has, so they are less of a problem). In fact, the high school where my oldest will be going already met with me to get my input on accommodations for next year and they are already in place.

I guess I felt compelled to respond because you seem to be finding excuses and I neither have experienced teachers who have accepted the lack of information, as you did, and/or who made excuses like it justifies lack of compliance. And, I haven't yet encountered the teacher who accommodated the plans at the detriment to other students. Maybe I'm lucky, but with three kids in school, I think it's more likely that most teachers are pretty caring and competent.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is another side to this. I am a teacher and in my first year, the IEP person at my school was new too. She didn't give the teachers copies of IEPs/504s from new and incoming students So for many months, I have no idea that 3 or 4 kids in my class had an IEP/504 at all. During the first parent/teacher conference, one parent mentioned it and that is when I went straight to admin about it. Does every teacher your child has know about the 504? If so, what are the accommodations specifically? Preferential seating doesn't always mean sitting in the front. One of my students sits on the end of a row away from the door. Honestly, some of the accommodations are crazy IMO. One year, I had quite a few students who were to have every assessment read verbatim to them which was fine if they were all at school on the day of the test. When they weren't, it took days and days to catch them up while the other students did independent work. I don't really think some people realize that the accommodations, while important for their child, impact the rest of the students too. If I were you, I would ask to meet with the teacher and an administrator to figure out what the problem is.

You are 100 percent correct and this is exactly why the current model of helping SN students will eventually capsize under its own weight (and expense). Public education happens in a group setting and giving individual attention to a couple of students while the other students are ignored under the guise of "independent learning" is not fair to those students OR teachers. I wish an individualized educational experience for all children but our system simply isn't set up that way, and no amount of indignant, huffy responses about "well MY child DESERVES" will change that.