Harris Beach Educational Institutions Industry Team attorney and Ph.D. Anne McGinnis recently addressed how special education directors should respond when parents present to the school district an assessment by a private evaluator and assume that their child will be found eligible for a Specific Learning Disability (SLD) classification based on the results of that private evaluation.

“Having an assessment plan is very important. When (a district) gets a private evaluation that parents obtain, if there are any needs that come up in the evaluation, those are areas the district should assess in, in addition to any other areas of need that maybe weren’t in the independent evaluation,” Anne says.

She goes on to outline tips for school districts to follow, including clarifying concerns of parents; conducting observations, interviews, and other assessments as appropriate; and fully considering the private evaluation when making classification and other IEP-related decisions.

Read “Do’s, Don’ts to Respond When Parents Present Independent Evaluation Suggesting SLD Eligibility.“