Special Education Procedures
Rock Hill Schools
Exceptional Student Education
Parent Requests, Outside
Evaluations & Prescriptions
Parents may present requests for special education testing or Section 504 plans.
They may also present evaluation reports, or medical prescriptions and diagnoses
from outside the school district or educational entities. What actions or responses
should be made by the school?
Any action or response to parent requests, outside evaluations, and prescriptions must be acknowledged and
considered. School district personnel who are contacted or provided with these requests or reports need to
forward them to the principal. As district procedures are followed, a student’s IEP team or Section 504
team will make considerations. If the student is not currently served by special education or through a Sec.
504 plan, a school’s RTI or student problem-solving team IEP team will need to consider the information
and respond, but are not required to comply or even make specific use of the information.
It is best to work under the assumption that there is value in any information available on the student’s
strengths and needs – it never hurts to learn more! If the information is first presented during a meeting,
team members can choose to either act on the information at that meeting, or wait to act after taking time to
review the information. Teams are not obligated to act on the information immediately, but they should do
so in a timely manner. If the information is presented outside of an IEP meeting, graciously accept the
information and state that the appropriate person or team will be made aware of the information and that it
will be considered. Don’t make any promises or commitments as to how the information will be used.
IEP Team Considerations
If the student is already receiving special education service, is being evaluated, or has a Sec. 504 plan, the
information and the parent request should be passed to the student’s IEP or Sec. 504 case manager or the
school psychologist. The team can choose to include the information in the student’s current program and
rewrite the IEP or Sec. 504 plan. A special review meeting should be scheduled so the team can consider
the information.
If a request from the parent regarding services, placement, or program accompanied the information, the
team will need to decide how the information will be used and/or how to respond to the parent’s specific
request(s). Prior Written Notice (PWN) should be completed detailing the team’s decision and response
regarding the information or request.
If the parent doesn’t make a specific request, ask the parent what they would like to see the information be
used for or what their intent was in providing the information
If the information is short or incomplete – such as a “prescription pad” diagnosis, accept the paper and
state that it will be considered. Ask if the parent would be willing to sign a release so the district can get
more information from the doctor or agency.
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Updated 6-7-11
Special Education Procedures
Rock Hill Schools
Exceptional Student Education
Parent Requests, Outside
Evaluations & Prescriptions
In making educational decisions, IEP teams should rely first on assessments and information completed or
approved by the school district. Court cases have demonstrated that school assessments are considered first
and are viewed as credible. Outside information or request must still be considered.
RTI or School Problem-Solving Team Considerations
If the student is not receiving special education services, it is important to find out how the parent wants
the information used or exactly what they are requesting. Some requests may be handled by the classroom
teacher without action on the part of the school’s RTI team or student problem-solving team.
However, if the parent specifically requests special education services, a 504 plan, or an evaluation, there are
specific referral procedures. All requests, outside evaluations, doctor/medical recommendations or
“prescriptions” of conditions should be reviewed by the school’s RTI or student problem-solving team for
consideration in a timely fashion. Medical findings are to be considered, but IDEA educational impact
standards for identification as a child with a disability and rationale for educational services is what school
teams must evaluate.
The school team should review the request and/or information and review the child’s progress and
achievement. The team may find that initiating or continuing the RTI process is appropriate. If the team
reviews and/or implements interventions and finds no indication that the child may have a disability or the
child does not require services to progress, the team may turn down the parent’s request by completing and
sending the parents a Prior Written Notice (PWN).
School RTI or problem-solving teams generally will have 3 responses to parent requests for evaluations –
“No; we do not plan to evaluate/make changes.”, “Not now. We want to try interventions first.”, and
“Yes; we will evaluate/make changes.” A Prior Written Notice should be sent in all 3 cases to the parents
in a timely manner. If parents indicate they do not want to wait and try interventions, the school should
move to an evaluation.
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Updated 6-7-11