Parental Consent
Parental consent in the form of a signature is required by schools
before proceeding with any of the following:
- An initial evaluation
- An initial placement in special education
- Reevaluation
- New (initial) evaluations not related to previously identified
areas of concern
- Release of educational records
- Accessing private insurance
The reason your consent must be obtained before the school can
proceed on any of the activities listed above is to ensure that
you have been made aware of all your rights. It is also intended
to ensure that you have been fully informed of all the information
relevant to the activity for which your consent is being asked.
Once your consent has been received, the school may implement
the activity. Understand that your consent is voluntary and may
be revoked at any time.
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Be clear
about what you are signing. |
You also have the right to refuse consent on any of the activities
listed. You should be aware that if you choose to refuse consent,
except in the case of release of education records or accessing
your private insurance, the school has the right to initiate Due
Process procedures.
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“If it is not possible to obtain parental consent
for an initial evaluation or a reevaluation to determine
eligibility for special education and supportive services,
an administrative unit may use the mediation or hearing
procedures described in Part 13, Dispute Resolution
Procedures, to determine if the student may be initially
evaluated or reevaluated without parental consent.
Informed parental consent need not be obtained for
reevaluation if the public agency can demonstrate
that it has taken reasonable measures to obtain that
consent, and the student’s parent has failed
to respond.” (MSER, Chapter 101, Section 9.18,
p. 51)
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| What Has Worked For Me As
A Teacher. . . |
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I make every effort to keep parents
involved of the referral and evaluation process. I
always try to be mindful of translating test results
into language and terms that will be meaningful and
understood by parents and others who may be unfamiliar
with the language used in evaluations.
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| What Has Worked For Me As
A Parent ... |
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“They told me my child had
a speech and language problem at the PET meeting.
I believed she had a learning disability. I didn’t
sign the consent form to initiate special education
at the meeting. I took some time to talk with others
and understand what it all meant. I eventually signed
consent for placement but only after I was clear on
what it meant to my daughter’s education.”
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