A Brief Overview Schools are responsible to teach expected behavior and limit use of punitive discipline. In July 2022, the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued guidance about the rights of students with behavioral health needs. Available in multiple languages, the booklet is titled: Supporting Students with Disabilities and Avoiding the Discriminatory 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.
Recovery Services: What Families Need to Know as Schools Reopen
A Brief Overview Students with disabilities who have not been fully served during years of the COVID-19 pandemic may have the right to additional school-based services to help them get back on track. These additional services may be called Recovery or Compensatory Services. Read on for information, including guidance from the federal government. A family-friendly, Read More
Tips to Help Parents Plan for the Upcoming School Year
A Brief Overview By getting organized, you can plan ahead for fall and beyond. This article includes tips, resources, and information to help you get ready for a new school year. Keep in mind that schools are required to engage with families. PAVE provides an article about parent participation in special education process. If you Read More
Navigating Special Education in Private School
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
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