Does the school district have an obligation to be transparent about all the services and placements they have to offer?

Special education attorney Grace Clark reminds us that while it can be tempting for a parent to want to see all of the services and placement options used by a school district to identify the one that seems most appropriate for their child, districts are under no obligation to be transparent about all the services and placements they have to offer. She advises that parents first think carefully about how a school can meet their child’s needs by using the child’s assessments to identify areas of need where special education is necessary. The school district is under a legal obligation to remediate and address those areas with high-quality, evidence-based instruction. The bottom line: Rather than choosing from what the school district has available, you can make a case for what your child requires to receive FAPE.

For more, see our article Placement Options and the Least Restrictive Environment.