Sunday, August 26, 2018

Obtaining A Bay Area Independent Educational Evaluation

By Catherine Barnes


If a parent is upset with an assessment related to a special needs child, there are several things which can be done. In one case, the parent has a right to request a Bay Area Independent Educational Evaluation. Whether enrolled in a special needs program or being denied admission, this evaluation can often be beneficial.

It can often take several attempts to obtain an assessment from an administrator or teacher. While this is the case, there are parental rights with regards to filing a complaint. In fact, in most public schools, these evaluations are considered a public expense and provided to parents without cost.

It is important to follow the necessary steps to make this type of request in order to obtain the best results. For example, parents must first write a letter outlining the issue to the education board, school and administrator. While not required, many also suggest forwarding a copy of the letter to the head of special education department when and where possible.

When filing for such a request, it is important to do so in writing. In addition, it is also recommended that those doing so retain copies of all such letters for future reference. For, if there are questions which arise as to the reason for the complaint, the correspondence can often be a good resource with regards to an answer as to why such request is being made.

After submitting a request, it can often take several weeks before receiving a reply. In most cases, replies will occur within six to eight weeks. While this is the case, California unlike other states has no federal or local guidelines with regards as to how quickly a reply must take place. Instead, the law only requires that a reply be made by a school district within a reasonable amount of time.

In other states, a timeline of 30 days has been set as reasonable period of time for a response. Whereas, a court has recently ruled that a 3 month period is an acceptable and reasonable period of time. One difference is that in other states, the claim must approved or denied before a reply can be provided.

California school districts and the state both recommend waiting a period of up to 3 months before filing a complaint regarding a reply. In most cases, this is now considered to be 15 school days as that is the same time a school takes when filing an assessment on behalf of the school. Whatever the case, it is important to never take no for answer if one can provide proof as to why an assessment is unacceptable.

In almost all cases, a timeline for obtaining a reply can vary depending on different scenarios and situations. For example, in many cases, it can be related to the size of the school and the number of special needs students enrolled at the time. In others, local and state guidelines could be a considerations. While this is the case, it is possible when filing the request to ask a school administrator what the average time for a reply is based on past requests.




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