How Many Times Can My Daughter Be Held Back During Elementary School?

If she is not learning what she needs to know to progress they must hold her back, they have no choice. How come you haven't had her doctor help you get an IEP for her. That way she would get the extra help she needs to learn

Gamma I get you know how to game every government handout on earth but they will not promote a child that doesn't know what is needed to succeed in the next level. They just will not! She needs and IEP, that is the only way she will get the services to succeed.

Does she have an IEP?

ETA: Incase you don't know, going forward have ALL contact with any personnel in writing. All requests, questions and follow up any conversation with a 'clarification' email. Sounds like you may need a paper trail to get the services you need from the school system.

Get her doctor involved, provide medical documentation and get her an IEP.

So, these seems really weird, I would put in an official request for testing if her seizures are impacting her. It sounds like right now she is only one year older then the kids in her class. I would not agree to her being held back again if I were you. I would push for support if she is not keeping up academically.

I'm more concerned that the frequency of her seizures is affecting her learning. What does the pediatrician say about all of this?

I would request a 504 and get everyone on board with helping your daughter. Maybe you need outside learning centers to help tutor your daughter.

I'm concerned that you say you have told the school that she is having absent seizures, yet they don't seem to care. How have you informed the school? What process have you undergone? Have you presented an official diagnosis and physician's letter to the school that states that your daughter must have a 504 plan, and precisely what accommodations she must have in place? Have you met with the special needs department at her school to discuss a 504 plan? It may seem that they don't care, and they may not care in the way we wish they would or in the way we do as mothers, but they must comply with a doctor's orders.

An IEP is basically a difference in the way the curriculum is presented, for students who are unable to comprehend or master the regular curriculum. This is primarily intended for students whose intellectual disabilities limit their ability to follow the standard curriculum.

A 504 plan is an accommodation that the school makes, so that a student's special needs are addressed. Examples are: providing the standard material in a larger font for a visually impaired student, allowing a diabetic student frequent and unscheduled breaks to check his blood sugar or to get snacks, allowing a student with an anxiety disorder to take tests in a private setting or time to calm down in the event of an anxiety attack without being called tardy. It would seem that your daughter's absent seizures would not prevent her from learning, but would make it difficult, for example, for her to take a test in a timely manner. Perhaps if the rest of the class took a test that required 30 minutes, your daughter's 504 plan would say that she could complete the test with no time limits, or instead of 30 minutes, she could have 90 minutes.

With some children who have medical illnesses, the regular and traditional progression of completing a semester or a year of school just doesn't fit.

It's not about "holding them back". It's about allowing them to progress on their own terms. A student who has to have major surgery, for example, may miss most of a semester. Then the following semester, he or she may take a reduced number of courses at the hospital or at home. Yes, at the end of the year, he or she may not have completed fifth grade or eleventh grade like the other students, but the 504 plan will have addressed this, and either the student's course load will have been reduced, or else the student will be allowed extra time to complete that school year's work.

My own daughter took 7 years to complete high school, a task normally completed in 4. She was not held back, she did not fail courses. But she only took a limited number of courses due to her medical problems, and she skipped one term entirely due to the treatment she needed and due to her illness. She just didn't attend school that term, but she wasn't considered a drop-out, or absent, her schooling was just put on hold for a couple of months while she dealt with her situation.

So your daughter might not be held back, but her academic progression might look different from most kids' traditional academic schedule.

Be sure to have documented medical records, have your suggestions clearly written down (you know how much your daughter can do and how the seizures affect her), and have a meeting with the 504 team. Get clear recommendations from her doctor about what he or she thinks would be the best school setting for your daughter IN WRITING. Does she need more time to complete assignments? Should some assignments be shortened? Does she need to take fewer classes at a time? Does she need to rest or eat something or drink water after a seizure? Ask her doctors about these questions and discuss it with them, then with the school. My daughter's primary doctor wrote a letter to the school, informing them that he was actively treating her, and he outlined what accommodations she would need in order to succeed at school. It changed from time to time. One term, her doctor ordered her to stay at home and receive home tutoring from the school district. Another term he said she could attend but with certain stipulations. The process can change depending on your daughter's health.

The school system can require certain things, like physician's written orders, medical documentation, and a written 504 plan with which all teachers and staff must comply. You must meet with the 504 team at least annually if not more often, and keep them informed of your daughter's medical issues. And you must advocate for her, and help her advocate for herself.

Kids on an IEP usually are never retained...,she isn't on an IEP? Seizure disorder with academic need would qualify her

i don't honestly know, but it bugs me to no end that instead of being concerned that your daughter's seizures are making it difficult for her to learn, you're focused on her not being held back.

what's the point of her moving on if she hasn't learned the material? does she have an IEP? what IS being done to help her?
khairete
S.

Note: Gamma, she's 11, turning 12. Big difference. Smile

A more useful question would be how do I work with the school and how do I provide for my child's needs so they don't hold her back. Because she has health issues she could be on a 504 plan that would allow the school to provide extra help. Have you considered that possibility?

My granddaughter misses too much school due to uncontrolled asthma. She's also taking medication for ADD. She has an IEP (individual education plan) that allows her extra time for some assignments and extra help from teachers.

This year, she emails teachers to get assignments when she's out of school for more than 1 day. Her mother signed releases that allowed her doctors to talk with the school counselor. This is necessary for her absences to be excused.

In grade school, her mother was in frequent contact with the Special Education Coordinator. My granddaughter was assigned specific times to go to her office for support.

Her mom's focus is also on working with her daughter and the doctor treating her asthma to get it under control.

Hopefully your daughter is receiving medical for seizures. What is her diagnosis. Is she taking medication? What else are you doing to keep seizures controlled? Have you discussed this situation with the appropriate school person? Have you given school reports from her doctor? Have you discussed the possibility of getting extra help in the form of a 504 or IEP?

The way you wrote your question sounds like you're fighting with the school. If so, your daughter is not getting the help available to her by Federal law.

Does your daughter have learning difficulties? Has she been tested through the school district? Testing is also provided by law. If she has learning difficulties, additional help.

Does your county offer home hospital teaching? Look in to that, that way someone can come to your home to teach her even if she is unable to go to class.

I would also be more worried about her health and her ability to do her work...she shouldn't pass a grade just because she is the right age. Look in to an IEP and/or home hospital teaching.

Hi L.,

Google IEP and do some research. I would then approach the school and become part of the solution. Forgive my tone if it seems harsh but your post is so uninformative it's hard to respond with anything comprehensive. By the time she's twelve, much could have already been done but we don't know if or what has been because of the nature of your post. You have my best thoughts. S.

As for your specific question I would call your state board of education/ the people that are over your school at the highest level and complain.

Julie, it will be pretty awkward for her if she's 16 and still in 4th grade because she can't learn the material due to seizures. Just to make a point. She has to be put in higher classes and given special considerations. They can't have a teen in 4th grade. They have to address their failure to provide accommodations for this child.

Since she isn't mentally retarded or have a cognitive processing issue she's not going to qualify for an IEP.

She DOES however qualify for a 504 plan. Same support but it's funded from a different pocket and it has much different laws regarding what is offered.

Please google 504 plan and read and read and read.

Tell them you want a 504 plan meeting for her. You'll need to invite her doc, her therapy providers if she has any, such as OT/PT, speech or anything. We had psychiatrist, psychologist, case manager, teachers, teachers aids, the special ed teacher, and the principal in ours. We drew up a plan so our boy with ADHD would be successful and pass. They made sure he was on target and learning. To do this they pulled him out of regular class and into special groups for reading and math.

The 504 plan is a contract with the school and they have a written plan as to how they will proceed.

Any child that even takes a daily pill or that has ADD or that has a learning disability, not a developmental disability, qualifies for this federal program.

A child with a developmental disability has a life long disability such as mental retardation/low IQ, autism, and other things that will be with them the rest of their lives. Some of these people will spend their middle school and high school years, up to age 21, in the special education classroom and will eventually get to walk and get their honorary diploma. There are some that will be able to learn and pass the classes but those are higher functioning people.

So please don't be confused. Your child doesn't seem to be disabled but does have a medical issue that interferes with her learning process. Please have her evaluated for learning disabilities if she needs it. If she is able to do the work but is having problems in class she might need accommodations.

If your daughter's medical issues are preventing her from learning in a typical school setting, then she needs a special education arrangement so that she can learn in a way that is suitable for her. Probably an IEP is in order. This doesn't mean she just gets passed along into each grade every year, it means adapting her education so that she learns what she needs to learn, and eventually will catch up.

Sorry to hear you are having difficulties.

My niece had absence seizures - multiple ones a day - but she was diagnosed and on medication and did ok in school. She actually stopped having them by the time she was a teenager. So I hope that's the case for your daughter.

There is a really good write up on what the school can do for you with epilepsy - at this link (safe)
http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/seizures-youth/about-kids/y...

Just an excerpt here:
"If epilepsy affects your child's ability to learn, you are probably entitled to special education services. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that says every child with a disability is entitled to a free, appropriate education in the least restrictive (most “normal”) setting possible. Your local Epilepsy Foundation should be able to tell you about laws and services in your state.

All students who receive special education services must receive an IEP. This is a written plan that outlines a student's needs and goals for the school year."

Now my niece didn't have any attention disorders or learning/memory issues. Does your daughter have any of these?

I hope you can get help for helping treat them more effectively, and for having the school's support in her learning. Your local epilepsy group might be helpful with information too.

Good luck :)

You need to get her an IEP or a 504 plan.

Are the seizures why you're looking into therapy? (You're last question.) Has your doctor written a letter explaining this to the school?

You need to write a letter asking for an IEP for your daughter. She qualifies for extra help and the school has to give it to her. You need to write a letter to the school district stating this. They have to answer you within a certain number of days.

It would be helpful if you could find someone who knows how to manage this system within the school system. Talk to some of the moms in your school - ANY of them whose children have an IEP. Ask around. See what they say. You need some guidance.

Gamma is right, if you can't get an IEP for her, you can do a 504 plan. She definitely shouldn't be 12 and in the 4th grade. I am curious what they have recommended in the past as far as additional support and tutoring for this child. Here, they would do everything in their power to get a kid up to the level to pass. In fact, it's unheard of to have kids repeat grades in our district. They offer extra tutoring time (sometimes at the home if the child cannot attend regular classes), meetings with parents, alternate classes, counseling, etc. What have they done to try to help her? Go to the school board and the principal and demand help.

Gamma is right, if you can't get an IEP for her, you can do a 504 plan. She definitely shouldn't be 12 and in the 4th grade. I am curious what they have recommended in the past as far as additional support and tutoring for this child. Here, they would do everything in their power to get a kid up to the level to pass. In fact, it's unheard of to have kids repeat grades in our district. They offer extra tutoring time (sometimes at the home if the child cannot attend regular classes), meetings with parents, alternate classes, counseling, etc. What have they done to try to help her? Go to the school board and the principal and demand help.