Frustrated with difficult children School

SunnyNC

New Member
I called my son's elementary school (he is now in intermediate and in 3rd grade) to see if I could get a copy of all of his evaluations or any IEP forms to bring to Dr appts later this week. The elementary school told me that those records would have followed him over to the intermediate school. So, I call over to that school...left a message with the receptionist and about 30 minutes later the school guidance councellor called me back.

Well, it appears that all of difficult child's IEP/speech therapy notes and test results or anything basically that says he ever had any sort of intervention through the public school system has disappeared. At least for now...I hope anyway. The councellor says she is not sure where it is; just that it is "not where it should be" and was going to contact the elementary school herself and talk with the speech therapist there if need be to try and find where this information is.

Gosh...how frustrating!! I certainly hope they find this information, as I am certain that both the pediatrician. neurologist as well as the pediatrician. psychologist would like to have this. I certainly do not recall what specific speech delay my difficult child had, so I am not much help there to the doctors.

Anway...sorry for my vent...hopefully soon I will be able to update this note with a "They found it!" :smile:

Have a great day!
Rachel
 

LittleDudesMom

Well-Known Member
Rachel,

I'm with you in hoping you get the "I found it" call soon! Chaulk this up an experience where you learn to make a change. I maintain two huge binders at home with everything "difficult child related". Every test, bip, old 504, current and old IEPs, report cards, notes from teachers, regs, etc.

You should have been given copies of all testing results and the IEP when you signed the IEP. You should have also been getting written goal updates at every grading period since the IEP was implemented that let you know how difficult child is meeting the IEP goals.

They should have also given you copies of federal and state regs. Don't ever walk out of a meeting without copies in your hand. Additionally, you may want to check with the elementary school regarding difficult child's IEP being archived on their computer.

You have a good day too!

Sharon
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
I know where the hard copy record is supposed to be...lol.

I remember when Cory was transferring from one high school to another locally and the school asked me to hand deliver the thing to the new school. What a mistake on their part. I decided to take my time and have lunch while reading the folder. Needless to say I did some "editing" of what I found that I didnt approve of. Oh well, shouldnt have asked me to do the delivering.
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Ack! so sorry!

I've got my eye on this one... all along I've learned to ask for copies of everything the 1st second I sit in on a mtng.

Good luck!
 

busywend

Well-Known Member
Fingers crossed they find it. Perhaps a call from your lawyer will help them remember where they put it quickly.
 

SunnyNC

New Member
Good news all....

First off, THANK YOU for taking the time to read my vent and replying!

The guidance councellor at my son's intermediate school called. They did find the IEP information....it had been "misfiled" back at the elementary school. They are sending it via their courier (?) back to the intermediate school. They will make copies and contact me tomorrow to pick the papers up. At least I will have it! I will make my OWN copies to keep here!! :smile:

Thank you again everyone, your support is very much appreciated.

All the best,

Rachel
 
Rachel, I'm so glad :smile: they found his records!!! Use this experience as a learning tool. I think Sharon gave you excellent advice. Make sure you get copies of everything at every meeting you go to!!! Keep all of difficult child's records in a safe place. WFEN
 

SRL

Active Member
Good luck finding what you need. A word of advice for next time: make 3 copies of everything that comes in and one copy everything that goes out from you to specialists and school district. Keep originals in a file, put one copy in a three ring notebook you carry to appointments, and have the third available for sharing with other specialists as needed.

Don't rely on *anyone* to have your child's records. Our district purges Special Education files every 5 years (I think). Doctors do shut down their practices without informing patients--I have a friend who needs copies of records for disability and the doctor has disappeared off the face of the planet.
 

Marguerite

Active Member
I'm so glad you found everything.

A recommendation that works for us - because it's a problem when every new doctor you go to wants copies of things like this, I now make them do their own copies while I wait. I have two copies of everything, where possible - one lot is in the fling cabinet at home, the other lot in a travelling folder. But if I give away anything in the travelling folder this means I need to get one of MY precious copies out of the filing cabinet and take it somewhere to copy it - risky. So the doctor can spare the electricity and paper to make his own copy.

Something else we've done - we scanned as much of this onto the computer. At a pinch we can email the scans, although it's easier to just print them off. it means I'm a bit freer with handing out copies, although I still avoid handling the originals.

difficult child 3's school files - I was given them from the local school to deliver to the highway school. I had to put them into one of my carry bags to do this, there's a lot of paperwork. I didn't have time to go through with a red pen like Janet. I asked them to give me my carry bag back as soon as they had read and filed his paperwork.
Then, when difficult child 3 left the highway school to transfer to correspondence, I was given the same carry bag back, with the files apparently unread and untouched. So now I know exactly where it all is - sitting beside my piano. I would need an entire filing cabinet if I took them out of the carry bag! But I AM going to enjoy reading through it all when I get to that stage. 20:20 hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Marg
 

SunnyNC

New Member
Thank you all for the excellent suggestions. It definitely HAS been a hard lesson learned and my plan IS to make several copies and then scan those onto a disk. It is sad that it takes something like this for me to realize that I am ultimately the only person responsible to make sure things are done correctly and kept in order; especially since I do not get paid like THEY do to accomplish the same task. AHHHH!!!! HAHA

Have a great day!
Rachel
 
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