Are you allowed in your kid's special education class?

Question

: Is it mandatory to seek teacher 's permission first before you could be allowed in your child's special ed class?from the point of view of law.Also what if they allow you not more than one hour to see how the class runs.

Answer 1

In New York, parents have the right to observe a special education class- whether their child is in the class or not. If you are trying to decide what would be an appropriate placement before you make your choice, you have the full right to visit and sit in and observe. If it's a class your child is in, you have rights to sit in as well- with prior permission and an appointment.

You should definitely set up an appointment first. Don't you think it is in poor taste just to drop in without anyone expecting you? This creates other problem situations. I always have parents show up without appointments and it ruins the flow of my day/disrupts the educational process when I'm constantly interrupted.

In terms of the law, YOU need to be the one to see what type of service/setting your child receives to be sure it follows what is outlined in the IEP. Many schools deny mandated services to special needs kids. You will not know if you are not actively involved.

Answer 2

If you can"t drop in on any class your child is taking ,a light should come on in your head ,unless there are test going on or nap time in pre or day (and you still should be able to peep in to see what is going on, an hour or less is more than enough time to see what your child is doing

Answer 3

It depends on what type of special education class. Is it regular special ed with kids who have learning problems or is it special ed for children who have autism and other disabilities? If it is the latter visitors often cause chaos in the classrooms. The teacher has to prepare the children for the visitor so as not to set them off. I have been in a classroom where people just came in without notice and the kids were very bothered by it. Sure the visitor may have been  the parent of a student but if the student has Autism this leaves him/her wondering why Mom or Dad did not take them home when they left. Now if you are told that the classroom does not allow visitors at all then I would just show up. Be very suspicious of that. As a parent you have the right to visit the classroom.

Answer 4

I love this question.  Of course, you *ought* to be able to observe in your child's special education class.  After all, you want to observe the program, see what specific interventions the teacher is doing, and what suggestions you can take home, right?  However some districts will not allow parents to observe special education classes because it would violate the confidentiality of the other students in the classroom.  THis argument never made a whole lot of sense to me, and it is discussed at length in the following article:

http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/priv.conf...

(BTW, parents of special needs children in the US, if you have not already subscribed to the wrightslaw.com newsletter, you should).

There is nothing in IDEA law that discusses this matter.  I think it ends up being a school-by-school issue, with some schools freely allowing the parents to observe, and some schools trying to keep the parents out at all costs.  

You should certainly seek the teacher's, and the principal's permission first before you go into the classroom to observe.  This is not only a courtesy to the teacher, but s/he might be able to tell you when is a good time to observe.  I can understand why they would limit your time rather than allowing you to stay all day. It can be overbearing for a parent to stay in the classroom for the entire day.  Even if you don't mean to be intrusive, your presence  (anyone's presence, really) will  affect the teacher's ability to conduct class.