The next logical question....
Last week The Patch had reported on Tuesday's BOE meeting. where, among other things, they discussed recommendations for medical services and tutoring. This brought me to take the discussion (in my head) a step further.
When a kid struggles teachers sometimes suggest parents have their child "evaluated". Although the BOE meeting discussion seems to have been about the appropriateness of giving names for tutoring or medical care, I believe the natural a follow up question is what next?
If "the school" suggests a medical evaluation, should it be obligated to accept a doctor's diagnosis? What if there is a list? Would a doctor from this list would be "automatically accepted" over a doctor not on such a list?
Currently even if a physician evaluates a child and reports the findings to the school, the school's Child Study Team (CST) re-evaluates a child before creating an IEP (if the school chooses them to be evaluated. The school may say the child doesn't need accommodation, even without a CST evaluation). This can be a contradiction to an external professional's findings). Would having an "approved list" mean that the district could drop retesting children, saving the district time and money (not to mention repeated stress for the kid)? Should an MD with specialization in diagnosing children's disorders trump a CST's assessments, or does the CTS know better what is an "issue" based on BRRSD's standards? Getting accommodation for children who are only mildly to moderately affected by a disorder can be very frustrating.
When evaluating making lists, perhaps the BOE should lay out clear policies on what they how BRRSD implements or interprets external evaluations from these lists. (and maybe they have them and I'm unaware).
I've had similar conversations with many frustrated parents. My guess is you also know someone who has a bunch of related questions. Go ahead and ask!
When a kid struggles teachers sometimes suggest parents have their child "evaluated". Although the BOE meeting discussion seems to have been about the appropriateness of giving names for tutoring or medical care, I believe the natural a follow up question is what next?
If "the school" suggests a medical evaluation, should it be obligated to accept a doctor's diagnosis? What if there is a list? Would a doctor from this list would be "automatically accepted" over a doctor not on such a list?
Currently even if a physician evaluates a child and reports the findings to the school, the school's Child Study Team (CST) re-evaluates a child before creating an IEP (if the school chooses them to be evaluated. The school may say the child doesn't need accommodation, even without a CST evaluation). This can be a contradiction to an external professional's findings). Would having an "approved list" mean that the district could drop retesting children, saving the district time and money (not to mention repeated stress for the kid)? Should an MD with specialization in diagnosing children's disorders trump a CST's assessments, or does the CTS know better what is an "issue" based on BRRSD's standards? Getting accommodation for children who are only mildly to moderately affected by a disorder can be very frustrating.
When evaluating making lists, perhaps the BOE should lay out clear policies on what they how BRRSD implements or interprets external evaluations from these lists. (and maybe they have them and I'm unaware).
I've had similar conversations with many frustrated parents. My guess is you also know someone who has a bunch of related questions. Go ahead and ask!
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