IEE request letter

klmno

Active Member
I took this sample letter from our state's doe website and listed my own reasons. Do you ladies think this is ok? Can you recommend another way to word the reasons listed that doesn't sound so accusatory against the ppsych who did the report? Truthfully, I think the report was very biased because difficult child was presenting very cocky to her and she decided he was a brat, then picked and chose facts that supported her theory. In fairness, difficult child had only been there about 1 mo and no one knew him. Now the sd staff does (except the psychiatric isn't there so she still doesn't) and the staff is saying the opossite about him. I can't really bring that up though because she could only evaluation on the info she had. That isn't what bothers me- what bothers me is the way she only put facts in that supported one opinion, even when there are contradictory facts (background facts) and reports from others stating the opposite. Furthermore, difficult child will be going to a new school next year and I don't want this inaccurate picture of him being the first impression those personnel get.

My son, difficult child, was evaluated for special education services in June of this year. I am writing to inform you that I disagree with the results of the testing and evaluation, and I would like to have my child reevaluated. I am requesting an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense, for the following reasons:

1) Background Information has errors

2) The report does not include some very pertinent facts that should have been taken into consideration; facts are listed in part which conveys an inaccurate picture and could lead to an inaccurate determiniation regarding his need for special education services

3) The recommendations focus more on what should transpire outside of school after difficult child's release from Department of Juvenile Justice than they do on how to help difficult child achieve a FAPE with his suspected disabilities and individual weaknesses

I would like this Independent Educational Evaluation to be conducted as soon as possible. Please send me copies of the school’s guidelines for IEEs and a list of the school division’s approved evaluators.
 

LittleDudesMom

Well-Known Member
Ok, just to make sure I'm straight. difficult child was evaluated while in a program and his doctor in that program's evaluation is being used by the school district to make placement plans for difficult child even though the sd knows some other conflicting (or has formed their own opinion) information about difficult child.

Will they understand what you mean when you say "backgrond information"?

I think the second point is a little wordy but I've been trying to figure out a way to reword it that contains the information and can't find one! I think you are trying to skirt saying the initial evaluation was bias? Point three is a tad unclear. I think you are saying that the evaluation focuses on home plans rather than school plans after release?

Have you looked up whether there is a time limit, either federally or in or state, for the evaluation? What do you think the chances are that they will do the evaluation? Are you willing to pay for one if they refuse in order to get difficult child the services he needs?

Crazy, busy time of the year for those of us with difficult children. The school anxiety for us is high as we are anticipating the school year!

Sharon
 

klmno

Active Member
Her report focuses 90% on difficult child's previous criminal activity and bad behavior at school in 5th and 6th grade (he's starting 9th grade now). She has 2 blurbs in it about his mental health. Her recommendations therefore are things like "keep difficult child monitored at school and in community, difficult child should have drugs tests to keep him from starting drugs, difficult child should have family therapy, difficult child should have individual therapy, difficult child should be monitored closely by mother, difficult child should be monitored in community to make sure he doesn't play with fire in the future, difficult child's behavior should be closely monitored at school, difficult child might need help with planning and organizing at school".

Never mind that teachers from middle school and the ones he has now report that behavior is good, difficult child does his work and asks for help when he needs it, teachers like him and he's giving them no problem, difficult child has had no write-ups at school in the past 18 mos and has had only 1 in the past 2 years. Also, they report that difficult child needs help with organizing and planning tasks and positive reinforcement. They say difficult child keeps to himself and has trouble relating to peers and gaging social situations. They say he does not share feelings and is easily distracted. These are listed in past and present IEP "present levels of performance" areas yet this lady doesn't mention this in her report, much less offer suggestions on how to help difficult child at school with them. She claims his absences last fall were intentional and willfull truancy an says "mother claims difficult child had mood cycling". Never mind the letter from psychiatrist, a letter from a pediatrician, ((which are in difficult child's sd file and mental health file at Department of Juvenile Justice) and 2 psychiatric hospital stays, which of course are never mentioned in the report- no I take that back- she mentions the psychiatric hospital stays.
 
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klmno

Active Member
LDM: difficult child is in state Department of Juvenile Justice and going to a school at their facility, however, the school is still in the DOE dept, not Department of Juvenile Justice, so it still has to meet state doe regs. Now, difficult child was up for his ttriennial review and I could not afford private neuropsychologist testing so the sd did it. This is just a typical (supposed to be anyway) assessment by a school pysch. I woould kind of understand her stance that she sounds like she's flipping out over difficult child's Department of Juvenile Justice record so she can't seem to focus on much else, except that she does all this sd's testing and there are kids in there for murder, rape, etc, who have done a whole lot worse than difficult child. I agree he needs to stay monitored, too, but this was not an evaluation for the PO or legal people, this is a evaluation for IEP determination for the sd. Of course, it will be in difficult child's school record forever and he be released next year and going to a mainstream high school, where this will be their impression of difficult child. Department of Juvenile Justice already did their psychiatric evaluation on difficult child in April while difficult child was in processing but it didn't cover sd issues. difficult child has a psychiatrist and therapist at Department of Juvenile Justice and they will be making recoommendations for difficult child's mental health care after his release. This school pysch didn't even consult with either of them and she told me that.

Department of Juvenile Justice's mental health evaluation said BiPolar (BP) I, but again, it didn't cover how that can affect school, and the BiPolar (BP) diagnosis is currently being re-evaluation'd by the psychiatrist seeing difficult child now because the one done in processing just took difficult child's records from the psychiatric hospital he'd been in and talked to difficult child and wrote down bp1 with most recent episode manic (although it should have said depression) but had no other comment.

You kind of have to look at it like when difficult child is at home- he might have a psychiatrist and therapist debating if he's unipolar depression or BiPolar (BP), but the educ psychiatric at sd does her evaluation for the IEP and says that since the BiPolar (BP) is question, he's a bad kid and just needs a behavior contract and then the rest of her recommendations cover what she thinks he needs outside of school. That's what is going on and that might be ok if a kid has never seen a psychiatrist or therapist but this is not the case and given that difficult child is in Department of Juvenile Justice, their psychiatrist and therapist will be making the recommendations for his care after release. So, no one covered what difficult child needs in school as far as suppoorts. The teachers reported that difficult child needs supports though so I'm writing a letter to the IEP case manager asking her to discuss these teachers' reports with difficult child's therapist to get her recommendations and to let her know about difficult child struggling in these areas so maybe she can work with him, too.
 
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LittleDudesMom

Well-Known Member
I'm thinking that those teachers that have made suggestions of support for difficult child should be asked to attend the meeting. As teachers who have had experience with difficult child in the classroom, their input should be considered vital when writing his IEP for the coming year. There is no reason why their written input or physical presence should not bve part of that meeting.

Thanks for the clarification. With as much as we hate the labels our children are forced to wear, behavior of 3 and 4 years ago should not be part of the IEP. The Current Level of Performance section at the beginning of the IEP is the driving factor in what supports are ultimately given.

Sharon
 

klmno

Active Member
Thanks, LDM! I sent 2 letters out yesterday. One was a short letter to the Special Education director in the sd asking for an IEE. The other was to difficult child's IEP coordinator stating I had was asking for an IEE, clarifying a couple of more minor things from previous meeting minutes, and asking for a coupple of things to be clarified and added to difficult child's propsed IEP. I also asked for them to get more info from difficult child's teachers and share the things like him acting withdrawn to his therapist, so that info would not be coming from me alone.

The IEP does not list behavior from a few years ago, except the behavior at middle school - the sd psychiatric's report did. Of course she missed many facts from the past year. Really, I think she was trying to get this stuff in difficult child's high school record in a manner that would be noticed when applying for college. That, alone with keeping difficult child monitored in the community and at school, seemed to be her whole concern. I think it was way out of her scope for a psychoeducational evaluation to see if a kid still qualifies for an IEP. I'vwe noticed many people are so shocked by some of the things he did in 5th grade that if they learn these things before knowing difficult child, it is difficult for them to get past the fear of what else he might do. I understand that but think the whole pipcture needs to be looked at- especially by a mental health prof.
 
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LittleDudesMom

Well-Known Member
I'vwe noticed many people are so shocked by some of the things he did in 5th grade that if they learn these things before knowing difficult child, it is difficult for them to get past the fear of what else he might do. I understand that but think the whole pipcture needs to be looked at- especially by a mental health prof.

Don't I know it! I have the same issue with people who find out about difficult child's behavior in 3rd grade. It's hard for people to come to terms with "my two difficult children"!

Hope all goes well.

Sharon
 
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