What happens when your kid has to miss school for medical reasons - high school

[Anonymous]

My son is being hospitalized for at least two weeks starting Tuesday. This is sudden but between this and medical issues that prevented him from completing school work, he failed classes last quarter and will be behind starting out this quarter. What can I expect from the school, if anything? Other than contacting the special ed coordinator and requesting a meeting what do I need to do. Thank you. We are in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Do you want instruction to come to him during that time? There's a service for that:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/instruction/faq.aspx

[Anonymous]

Get in touch with your DCs counselor. I don't think they will give home instruction for such a brief time. The process to get it would be longer than 2 weeks anyway.

[Anonymous]

I'm saddened to see that medical issues lowered his grades without there being some kind of allowance made for them. I would expect much better from the school - it's not as if he's goofing off and being lazy, like other high schoolers!

[Anonymous]

There can be huge lack of understanding at high schools about medical issues. My DD had an art teacher (of all things) who was going to fail her because she was in the hospital for two weeks. I had to get someone senior to intervene--they erased the class and she had to take it again.

[Anonymous]

I have a DC with a medical issue. You need to ask for a 504 plan. Classwork should have been cut to the bare minimum and any key items to complete should have been given long extensions. In the meanwhile, your DC should have been given an I for incomplete.

My DD had incompletes for many months in some classes. MCPS principal and teachers tried to fail her and force her to withdraw from classes she could not attend due to illness. This is illegal. We have always found complaining to the countywide 504 supervisor to be effective.

If the medical illness is short-term, you won't be able to get a 504 plan. so, if your kid is just going to be out for 2 weeks and there will be no follow on limitations from meds oor recovery, then no 504.

MCPS is now offering something called a "health plan" if a kid needs accommodations due to health issues but it's not long term or substantial enough to qualify for a 504. The health plan doesn't offer the same legal protections as a 504 plan, but once written, the school should be following it.

Request a meeting - IEP or 504, whichever is appropriate - and be prepared to present evidence. get you doctor to write a note with the diagnosis, how it will adversely impact education or substantiall limit the child's major life activities like thinking, concentrating, reading, whatever and have the doctor recommend specific accommodations in the letter.