grab store: general education

Monday, April 6, 2020

How To Ensure Your Kids Get Educational Services And Don't Get Left Behind During Coronavirus

By Michelle Ball, California Education Attorney for Students since 1995

Millions of students have been impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in California and the US. Being a student forced home with no or limited access to education has been detrimental to say the least. The lack of instruction, increased time on social media or television, and lack of in-person socialization is changing students' lives. How do we navigate this situation to ensure that our kids don't just languish, overlooked, waiting for help?

As most school districts have announced closures the rest of the school year and schools will not start the 2020-21 schoolyear until August 2020, this will be a long long wait for education: roughly five months if school stopped in March 2020.

Some school districts have done very little, and students have not received books, have no online lectures or instruction, and have not heard from their teachers. Some districts are doing more, but it is very slow. Even in a "perfect" online situation, there will be dramatic limitations due to the digital format. It is also likely that despite many great educational resources online, the majority of students will be dependent on their local schools for instruction, assignments, materials and otherwise.

Students are now truly just a list of names or a picture on a computer.

To get any attention or help, parents and students will need to step up, taking appropriate action to get services for their languishing kids.

I have always promoted to parents to put all requests and issues in writing when communicating with a school on student needs or problems. With email, putting things in "writing" is easy. A nice handy record is always developed. This can be good and bad depending on how someone communicates, so always keep your manners in when emailing.

Emailing and/or sending formal correspondence to schools regarding student grading, materials, instruction, access to education and issues is even more important now.

Any written request needs to be clear, organized and have certain elements. For example, an email should ensure the "RE:" line is clear, and that in the body of the email the student is identified properly with their name, student ID/date of birth, as appropriate, school, grade level, and that the needs and issues are outlined, with the exact requests listed. It is always easiest to get what you want if you ask for it first. Otherwise, schools will create their own idea of what you want, or do nothing at all.

It should also be sent to the appropriate parties, including perhaps the Principal, teachers, and maybe even someone at the school district, as appropriate.

It cannot be understated how important professional communication outlining the issues, needs and desired outcome is for parents, particularly when many are vying for attention. Without this, schools may not even reply to an email. They are presumably pretty busy, and won't know what to do with an email that says "Help me, my son is at home doing nothing," but may reply to one with the parent name, student name, school, grade, current classes, what the student is doing and what the student needs from the school right now. Clear communication is vital.

If the school fails to follow-up, additional communication should be sent, and maybe even via regular mail or facsimile (if available).  Higher ups should be contacted as needed.

Some of the things parents should be asking for, could include:

1) School textbooks
2) Other materials needed for classes
3) Assignment lists and due dates
4) Instructions for those assignments
5) Teacher notes and overheads
6) Video or live instruction in all subjects, preferably daily at the same time a student normally had a class
7) Technology that the student may be lacking to access their education
8) Instruction on any technology a student may need to access their education
9) Tutoring on-line for all classes as needed and hours for such
10) Policies on due dates, methods of turning assignments in, any grace period for turning work in, and any changes to the class grading policies
11) Testing instructions, including when that will occur, and if it will be open book
12) Any other item the student may be lacking to receive their education.

And remember, public school education is supposed to be free, so these items should be free of charge.

It is really important that our kids, who are now digital images, don't get lost or forgotten. Inevitably, many will. Many will not get materials or assignments. Others will never do anything they are sent. Still others won't ever be able to access any instruction that may be available or won't understand it. It is critical that parents step in to help them or they may be severely damaged by the Coronavirus situation and forced exclusion from school, even if they never become physically ill.

Best,

Michelle Ball

Education Law Attorney

LAW OFFICE OF MICHELLE BALL

717 K Street, Suite 228

Sacramento, CA 95814

Phone: 916-444-9064

Email:help@edlaw4students.com

Fax: 916-444-1209

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Please see my disclaimer on the bottom of my blog page. This is legal information, not legal advice and no attorney-client relationship is formed by this posting, etc. etc.! This blog may not be reproduced without permission from the author and proper attribution of authorship.

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

What is an SST aka Student Study Team and What Do They Do?

By Michelle Ball, California Education Attorney for Students since 1995

Schools seem to chug along unattended- Johnny goes to school and comes home and does his homework and on and on like a spinning wheel. Then one day, a school administrator calls and says Johnny has been referred for an "SST meeting." They then give a quick explanation about a school "SST team" which will help Johnny while you, the parent, sit confused, thinking that Johnny is really going to get some help this time, and being thankful that you got this call. But until you know what an SST meeting or team are, it is hard to know for sure how excited we should get.

So, I thought I would clear up what an SST is, the value of an SST (or lack of value), and what the results should be of an SST.

Okay- I have heard the abbreviation SST interpreted different ways over the years, but here are the most common "definitions" of this term:

- Student Study Team or their SST Plan or their SST meeting

- Student Success Team or their SST Plan or their SST meeting

- Student Support Team or their SST Plan or their SST meeting
- Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.... wait no that's not it.

This SST team is made up of unspecified school staff, such as teachers, administrators, and others working in that system, who may (but don't have to) decide to get together at an SST meeting when a general education student is having struggles in school with his/her studies, behavior, or otherwise. This is a general education "tool" to try to assist a student, and implement some strategies to avert the student's apparent decline in school.

An SST Plan (just called an "SST") may list areas of difficulty, what the parent will do to help remedy this and minor things the school will do, with responsibility assigned generally to e.g. the "teacher."

This is great for kids that are not in special education or on a 504 (disability accommodations) plan or who don't want to be. However, the bad thing about SST plans is that they are not enforceable similar to a 504 or IEP (Individualized Education Program- special education plan). An SST is nothing if no one decides to do the steps outlined. So it is important that the staff drafting the SST are honorable and actually implement it. In other words, parents cannot go in later and say- "You were supposed to do x, y and z for Johnny per the SST!" and file some claim against the school for a remedy.

SST plans are good when the staff and school are behind them. In that case, if a student needs some additional general education support, they can help students. For example, if the plan decides Johnny needs to be checked on more frequently than others, and the teacher does this based on the SST, Johnny could benefit greatly.

I have often seen SSTs touted as things parents have to endure prior to moving to a 504 or IEP assessment, which is not legal. An SST cannot be mandated to occur BEFORE a 504 or IEP assessment proceeds at parent request.

SSTs also have no legal timelines, unless a timeline is outlined in school or district policy. In fact, any mandates for SSTs would only be found if a school district bound itself and its schools: for example, if a school board votes to implement a policy that all SST meetings will be held X number of days after parent request, that could potentially obligate them. However, in that case, the district would have to BIND ITSELF to do this.

SSTs are basically plans that are great if you have good staff that will actually follow through. Some schools do, so they are worth a shot. Parents, however, may have to help the school follow through to implement the SST to help little Johnny.