14 tips: reviewing your child's educational records

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14 Tips: Reviewing Your Child's Educational Records by Pat Howey

1. Send a request to inspect and review your child's records. (Sample

attached).

2. Specify all files in the attached sample letter, whether or not

you believe these

records exist.

3. Send this letter to all pre-schools and schools your child

attended.

4. Send a second letter to the government agency that provides special

education, i.e., Special Ed atives, Joint Services and Supply.

5. Give the school/agency two or three different dates and times you

can be

available to review the record.

6. If you do not receive a response within a week, send a follow-up

letter,

attaching a copy of the original letter.

7. When you go in to review your child's records, take a number of

pads of the

smallest size sticky notes with you.

8. With a sticky note, tag every sheet of paper or note that you

either have

never seen before or that you are certain you do not already have a

copy of.

9. Make a note of missing items. Clues: If you have written notes to

the school

and they are not in any of the records, YOU HAVE NOT BEEN PROVIDED

WITH ALL THE RECORDS. If the testing protocols (actual testing

instruments) are not in the records, YOU HAVE NOT BEEN PROVIDED

WITH ALL OF THE RECORDS. If your child has had adaptive physical

education, physical, occupational, or speech therapy, and the daily

progress

notes are not in any of the records, YOU HAVE NOT BEEN PROVIDED

WITH ALL OF THE RECORDS. If any records are missing, write a note,

indicating what you believe is missing.

10. When you are done, count the sticky notes. Make a note of the

number of

pages you can expect.

11. Return the files with a note that requests copies of all items

that are tagged

with sticky notes.

12. Reminder: Absent state law or local policy, you are not

automatically entitled

to copies of your child's records, except under specific

circumstances. You

may be charged a fee for the copies.

13. When you return to pick up the copies of your child's records,

note the

number of copies. If the number varies from what you expect, leave a

note

stating that you did not receive all requested copies.

14. Sign and date each piece of correspondence you give to the keeper

of the

records. Always keep a copy for your own records.