A Brief Overview When a family chooses to enroll their student with disabilities in a private school, they have different rights. Those rights are summarized in this article and further explained by U.S. Department of Education guidance issued in February 2022. School districts are responsible to seek out and evaluate all students suspected of having disabilities Read More
Category: Where to Start
A look at what steps you can take to work with your child’s school and resources related to your child’s educational needs.
Summer Reading Tips for Families
A Brief Overview Learning Heroes provides help to figure out a child’s reading level, useful when asking for summer reading recommendations from a teacher or librarian. Any format that captures a child’s imagination and makes them enjoy reading is valuable. Consider graphic novels, audio books, read aloud online videos, or e-readers in addition to traditional Read More
School to Adulthood: Transition Planning Toolkit for High School, Life, and Work
You can print this toolkit as a PDF! Click to download. Looking to the future can feel exciting, hopeful, confusing, overwhelming—or all emotions at once. For families supporting a young person with a disability, it’s never too soon to begin planning to ensure a smooth process from the teen years toward whatever happens next. This Read More
Sample Letter to Request Evaluation
A Brief Overview Washington State requires special education referrals to be in writing (WAC 392-172A-03005). Anyone with knowledge of a student can write a referral. The state provides a form for making a special education referral, downloadable from a website page titled, Making a Referral for Special Education. The form is not required—any written request Read More
Sample Letter to Request a Functional Behavioral Assessment
When a student’s behavior gets in the way of their learning and/or the learning of others, the school is responsible to figure out how to support behavioral expectations. One way to do that is to assess why the student might be acting out and use that information to consider how positive behavioral interventions might teach Read More
Procedural Safeguards: How to File a Special Education Complaint
This training has information about parent rights and describes a process for filing a community complaint. When parents believe their child’s school has done something inappropriate related to the Individualized Education Program—their IEP—filing a complaint is one option available. This training will help you know where to get a community complaint form and walks you Read More
Toolkit Basics: Where to Begin When a Student Needs More Help
You can print this page as an accessible PDF! Click to download. When a student has unmet needs and may need new or different school-based services, what to do next can feel confusing or overwhelming. PAVE provides this toolkit to support families in taking initial, critical steps. These guidelines apply regardless of where school happens. Read More
What Parents Need to Know when Disability Impacts Behavior and Discipline at School
A Brief Overview School discipline is resurfacing as a concern for many families as schools have reopened for in-person instruction. Read on for information about student rights in Washington and what families need to know when behavior impedes learning and disability may be a factor. Schools are required to provide education and support before resorting Read More
Recovery Services: What Families Need to Know as Schools Reopen
A Brief Overview Students who did not make adequate progress on IEP goals due to COVID-19 may need Recovery Services to get back on track. IEP teams are responsible to make student-centered decisions about this option for additional educational services. Not all students need Recovery Services, but the state has made clear that IEP teams Read More