Source: https://www.wrightslaw.com/nltr/06/nl.0516.htm
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 18:16:32+00:00

Document:
2. How I Got ESY Services After the School Said "No!"
It's IEP season - and many parents are writing with questions about Extended School Year (ESY) services.
In this issue, you will learn about legal standards for Extended School Year (ESY), advocacy strategies that will help you negotiate for ESY services, and decisions about ESY from federal courts.
But first, we want to share a Success Story!
2. How I Got Extended School Year Services After the School Said "No!"
"At a recent meeting, the team said our child did not qualify for Extended School Year services because he did not meet the 'regression-recoupment criteria.' The team did not advise us about any other criteria to determine if a child is eligible for ESY services."
"I remembered what you told us at the Wrightslaw Boot Camp in Jackson - that parents need to do their own independent research, and not accept everything they are told. I decided to do my own research on this subject ..."
In How I Got Extended School Year Services After the School Said No!, you will learn how one parent got answers to her questions about ESY (it was fast and easy). At the next meeting about ESY, instead of confronting school personnel, she asked questions and used the Columbo Strategy.
What happened next? Read How I Got Extended School Year (ESY) Services After the School Said "No".
In Standards for Extended School Year (ESY), Nissan Bar-Lev describes the legal basis and standards for ESY as defined by federal courts around the country. Dr. Bar-Lev is the special education director of CESA-7.
The CESA-7 website is an excellent source of information for parents and educators and was the winner of the Wrightslaw Best School Website Contest.
Learn more about Extended School Year (ESY) Services.
If you have a disagreement with the school about Extended School Year (ESY) services, you need to learn about the legal standards for ESY. You also need to learn how to negotiate with school staff so you resolve the problem and protect your relationships with school personnel.
To learn how to resolve an ESY dispute, read Advocacy Strategies: Negotiating for Extended School Year Services.
It is useful to read a case of two about your legal question. We selected summaries of three cases about ESY to help you understand how these issues are decided: Daniel Lawyer v. Chesterfield (1993), Reusch v. Fountain (1994), and J.H. ex rel. J.D. v. Henrico County School Board (2003).
Danny Lawyer was a young child with autism who had expressive language and phonological processing problems. Although Danny regressed in his ability to communicate during the summer, his school district refused to provide any speech language therapy during the summer months.
After a due process hearing and review, the case was appealed to federal court. In Daniel Lawyer v. Chesterfield School Board, Judge Spencer ruled that "Regression is not the only factor" in deciding if a child needs ESY services. The judge listed several factors that IEP teams should consider in making ESY decisions.
In Reusch v. Fountain, (D. MD 1994), the court found that educational decisions were not individualized according to the child's needs. Instead, "administrative convenience" took precedence over providing FAPE to children with disabilities.
In 2003, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued a decision in J.H. ex rel. J.D. v. Henrico County School Board, 326 F.3d 560, 567-69 (4th Cir. 2003) . The Court found that the district court and hearing officer applied an incorrect legal standard in determining whether extended school year services were necessary to provide a free appropriate education and remanding the case for reconsideration under the correct standard.
"We direct that upon such reconsideration, the Hearing Officer shall consider the 'window of opportunity' evidence presented by the Plaintiffs to the extent that it is relevant to the question of whether the level of services provided in the Summer 2001 IEP was adequate to prevent the gains that JH had made during his regular kindergarten school year from being significantly jeopardized."
Extended School Year (ESY) Services and Caselaw.
June 7: Wilkes-Barre, PA - Special Education Advocacy Training with Pat Howey; sponsored by Supporting Autism and Families Everywhere - SAFE.

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