Issue 19: Top 10 Important Reasons Behind Keeping Proper Documentation of School Records | Melissa Robison

Documentation of our educational journey from pre-school to college is not always something parents think about maintaining. But for some, educational documentation can be the key to helping the educational team understand their child’s needs. Proper documentation of your child’s educational journey should be gathered to ensure your child’s needs are being met within the current classroom or school setting. As a parent, and especially as a parent of a student with diverse needs, it is incredibly important to maintain annual education records and to know your rights.

In order to obtain a full set of records, phone your child’s school and ask to whom a written request for records should be sent and if there is a specific form that can be sent to make the request. Keep in mind the school has 45 days to fulfill a record request.

You might be asking, do I really need to request ALL of my child’s educational records? Below are 10 great reasons to consider a record request sooner rather than later.

Child Find

Child Find requires that parents, daycare providers, therapists or doctors who are aware of a child with diverse needs, or possible diverse needs, bring it to the school’s attention. Documentation from any of these people can be shared with the school district or early childhood intervention center as a way to discuss whether the child is encountering any developmental delays. The earlier a delay is identified, the faster a child may remediate that skill. If you have concerns, provide your documentation of the concerns to the county for early learners or the public school district if the child is already enrolled.

Requesting an Evaluation

Documentation of your child’s educational journey is very important in this process. To request an educational evaluation, start by generating an email requesting your child be evaluated and requesting to meet with the educational team to discuss your concerns further. For this meeting, it is advantageous to bring documentation with you that demonstrates your area of concern and to show how your child is being impacted at school due to a suspected disability. Do not leave this meeting without a written response to your request. This documentation is important!

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

All students have a right to be educated in the LRE. LRE ensures a student is educated closest to home, based on the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP), decided by the team- minimally once a year and the potential harmful effects are considered. Documentation to consider when determining LRE is: student report cards, IEP progress updates, benchmarking data, intervention data, behavior intervention plan, and progress monitoring regarding academics/social-emotional concepts/behavior. If professionals on the team have observed your child, that documentation should be considered as well.

Student Discipline

Student discipline should be factually documented. Too often, feelings get intertwined with the facts; this can have serious implications for any student. If the parent or school team starts to see a pattern of behaviors affecting your student (academically, socially, emotionally or behaviorally) you can request a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP). This plan uses documentation and data to help the child grow towards gaining the skills necessary to access his/her education. It is important to know that any student may have a behavior plan, not just diverse learners.