Legal Articles, Other

What Should I Do if My Child Has Been Denied Special Education?

What Services Are Required for School-Aged Children with Autism in Connecticut?

No Child Left Behind – Connecticut

A case decided by the Connecticut Appellate Court, suggests Educational Support orders entered pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes § 46b-56c may not be entered retroactively.  In Kleinman v. Chapnick, 131 Conn. App. 812 (2011), the parties had two children who were over the age of eighteen and enrolled as full-time college students.  During the divorce proceedings, the parties’ older daughter was a senior and their younger daughter was a freshman.  In February 2010, after the parties entered into a final agreement on custody and visitation, a two-day trial ensued regarding financial issues.

A due process hearing is a legal proceeding that ensures fairness in the decision-making process regarding your child. As a parent, if you disagree with a proposed or refused action pertaining to your child’s education, you or the school district may initiate a due process hearing to resolve the disagreement.

Once it is determined that your child is eligible for special education services under the IDEA, an individualized education program will be developed to meet the particular needs of your child. The term “individualized education program” or “IEP” is a written plan detailing your child’s special education program as designed by the Planning and Placement Team (PPT). As a parent and member of your child’s PPT, it is vital that you influence and help develop your child’s IEP. The PPT must consider the strengths of your child, the concerns you have in enhancing the education of your child, the results of the initial or most recent evaluation of your child and the academic, developmental and functional needs of your child. Taking these factors into account allows for the PPT to create a specialized IEP geared toward providing your child with the best opportunity to satisfy their individual needs.

What is Informed Consent and When is it Required for Special Education?

Connecticut law defines a child requiring special education as a child who meets the criteria for eligibility for special education pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 USC 1400, et seq., as amended from time to time…”

What is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act?

What happens if a school declines in standardized testing? Schools and school districts that fail to make “adequate yearly progress” are subject to corrective action and restructuring. Adequate yearly progress means, for example, that each year a school’s fourth graders score higher on standardized tests than the previous year’s fourth graders.