At this time of year, we at Families at Allies often see an increase in families wondering whether their child needs more support at school, including whether they would benefit from special education services. This makes sense. Families have had more than half the school year to see how their child is doing and often want to get issues resolved before the school year ends.
Are you wondering what to do next when you believe your child’s school should evaluate your child for special education services? Here are the steps to follow:
1.) Write the Child Find coordinator for your school district. One of the most important things to remember is to put your request in writing. This is a sample letter you can use to make the request. Remember to address your letter to the school district’s Child Find coordinator (check the district’s website). If you cannot find the name of the Child Find coordinator, address your letter to the special education contact listed on the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) website.
2.) Download and understand the official timeline. Once you submit your written request, the Initial Evaluation and Eligibility Flowchart (PDF) shows MDE’s timeline that the school district must follow. Families as Allies and the Mississippi Parent Training and Information Center can support you in requesting an evaluation for your child.3.) Don’t accept undue delays. Keep in mind that even though families may prefer to complete evaluations during the school year, districts must respond to evaluation requests on the same timeline year-round. They cannot delay evaluation timelines because the school is not in session. Districts also cannot use the TIER process as a reason to delay their responses to requests for evaluations. In other words, districts cannot tell families that their child needs to complete the TIER process before they can be evaluated for special education services.
4.) Get help (or file a complaint) if the district deviates from the timeline. If your child’s school district does not follow MDE’s evaluation timeline, tells you that timelines change when school is not in session, or states that your child has to go through the TIER process before being evaluated, we encourage you to contact the Mississippi Department of Education special education hotline at 601-359-3498 or consider filing a formal state complaint.
If you would like more information about the formal state complaint process, feel free to reach out to us.
