What should I do if the school keeps switching my child's aide or service provider?

It's common for there to be some staffing rotation at the beginning of the school year, but parents may be concerned about when the school will provide a permanent aide or other IEP service provider.

If your child has already been in school for several weeks, send an email to ask who the providers are going to be, and let the school know if you have concerns about consistency. In general, try to see what happens around the third week of school because there could be changes as the first few weeks go on. The exception is if it's a safety concern, then the school should address your concern ASAP.

If consistency is super important to your child, you can try to add it to the IEP, but the school can’t guarantee specific staff, for example if a provider quits.

Unless the IEP has something special that you negotiated, there’s no requirement for any service to be provided by the same person. It just has to be a person qualified to provide the service, such as having certain certifications or trainings.

For more information, see our article Helping Our Kids Cope with a Change in Providers.