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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]As a HS Sped Teacher, [b]extra curricular activities are dependent on academic success[/b]. [b]If a child is struggling academically because they cannot handle the commitment of their activity (sports is the most common one we see in HS)[/b], they need to stop the activity until their grades improve. IEPs don’t cover football. [/quote]

This is actually not true for many extra-curricular activities.  IME, many school administrators automatically assume bad grades are because of the participation in an extra-curricular. In reality, the analysis is highly dependent on the facts.

Is there a GPA requirement for all football players (or school patrol) to be eligible to play?  Then on the surface, the disabled student would also have to meet the GPA requirement. But, if, on closer inspection, is the reason that an ADHD player is not eligible because he has otherwise good grades which have been dragged down by assignments that have not been turned in at all or in a timely fashion?  Then it’s possible he is being denied access to football because of disability, further analysis would have to be done on the types of supports he was getting in school, whether they’re adequate and whether teachers are complying.

There is also a special problem that kids with ADHD or other disabilities for which extra-time is an accommodation. Extra-time is often given, but without reduction in work or ability to reschedule deadlines.  If a student has extra-time, that is not just extra-time on tests, it is extra-time on everything -  all assignments.  It is impossible and discriminatory to make disabled students spend 50% more of their life on school work, particularly when insistence on that means that kids don’t get access to extra-curricular.

I have personal experience with this when a DC of mine had a medical issue which meant that DC could not attend school full-time and even had extra-time and re-scheduling deadlines accommodations.  However, despite limited ability to be in school, DC did continue to attend an extra-curricular activity (not a sport) which had no grade requirement.  School officials came to the extra-curricular and harassed and bullied DC, saying DC could not come back to the extra-curricular until DC was back in school full-time.

I made it clear to the school that this extra-curricular was an important social support for DC while recovering medically and to refuse to allow DC to participate was discriminatory.  I escalated that fight and won.  It is very clear under the law that disabled students have rights to participate in extra-curricular, but the analysis of any one situation is highly fact dependent.

Please see more on the Wrightslaw page here - https://www.wrightslaw.com/blog/doe-guidance-on-legal-obligations-for-extracurricular-activities/[/quote]

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