minimal communication with classroom teacher

[Anonymous]

DC has inattentive ADHD, including some social skills challenges.

We (the other IEP parents and I) are getting no communication from the early primary teacher (even minimal in weekly folders) -- everything is coming from the special ed caseworker assigned to the class. This is weird to me. My kid is not her IEP -- she's a 2nd grader with an IEP. Am I overreacting? This doesn't feel like least restrictive. I wrote a "Larla needs an early dismissal" email directly to the classroom teacher and got a note that she would forward it to the caseworker. Has she abdicated responsibility for my kid?

[Anonymous]

She's mainstreamed with an IEP?

[Anonymous]

Yeah. Least restrictive and all that. Last year's caseworker was very very firm about least restrictive because... duh. This teacher is young (less than 10 years experience) and IMHO leaning too hard on the caseworker.

[Anonymous]

It could be that the caseworker has insisted to the teacher than 'everything' with Larla (or all kids with plans) needs to run through her.

I'd send an email to both of them and ask who you should direct routine inquiries or requests to with a couple of examples - and say why you were surprised that the caseworker answered the early dismissal request.

Write with a tone of "I want to clarify/ understand and make sure everyone is on the same page."

[Anonymous]

That is strange. DD has been mainstreamed with an IEP for two years and the teacher always communicates directly with us.

[Anonymous]

You are right to be concerned. Just because she has an IEP, she should still be getting instruction and attention from her gen ed teacher.

[Anonymous]

That is very strange! I would definitely be concerned. I like the PP's idea about inquiring about routine requests.

[Anonymous]

We are at our school for a second year. There was absolutely no communication last year and we had no idea what was going on. I'd email occasionally and get my child was ok and that was it. Same with this year. I think the principal discourages it.

[Anonymous]

Many schools don't communicate much with parents outside of parent-teacher conferences. The good ones have teachers do some sort of brief written update every week or two for the whole class.

But I also know that teachers don't have a lot of time to field emails from every parent. I only email teachers if I have a time-sensitive or critical issue. For an early dismissal, I'd send a note with the child that morning, but in reality, they don't need advance warning of this -- you just show up at the office and retrieve the child.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure that I understand the details, but perhaps this is a co-teaching situation. In this case, the special ed person is responsible for all communication about the special ed students. Everything is supposed to be passed along to the case manager.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks all. I was planning on a quick roles and responsibilities check in, but I needed a sanity check. This is our third year at the school (and we have the least experienced teacher this year) but this is new... but there has also been a little administrative turnover (new Vice Principal) at the school so it might be part of something bigger.