Special Education Letter Writing; 7 Items Parents of a Child With a Disability Must Include In Letters by JoAnn Collins

Special Education Letter Writing; 7 Items Parents of a Child With a Disability Must Include In Letters
by: JoAnn Collins

Are you a parent of a child with a disability who would like to write letters to special education personnel, but do not know what to include? Would a short list of things to include be helpful? This article will address 7 specific items that should be included in letters to special education personnel, to make them effective. Letters should be one page if possible, and contain these things:

Item 1: You should include your name in the letter as well as the name of your child with a disability. If the special education person is an administrator, they may not know you or your child.That’s why it is important to include both in the letter.

Item 2: You should include your child’s birth date, if you are writing to special education personnel who do not know your child. Special education personnel often use a child’s birth date, for identification purposes.

Item 3: You should include the date when you are writing the letter; the date should include month, day and year. Letters sent to special education personnel become part of your child’s school record. By dating the letters, anyone looking at the record can tell when it was written. The date the letter was sent may be important in the future if a dispute occurs between you and special education personnel.

Item 4: You should very clearly state the purpose of the letter. For Example: I am writing you today to tell you of my concerns for my child, Mary, whom I believe may have a learning disability, in the area of reading. I am asking that she be tested using a standardized reading test such as the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test. When the test results are finished, we can discuss them at an IEP meeting."

Item 5: You should include the person’s name that you are sending the letter to, their title, and school address.

Item 6: The letter should contain a hand signature at the bottom of the page, by the parent writing the letter. If the letter is used in the future, it holds more weight if it is signed.

Item 7: The letter should include any written documentation or reports that help your case. For Example: I am including a letter from the Occupational Therapist, about the behavioral difficulties my daughter has been having during therapy time. After the signature put the word attachments in the left hand margin, and list the name of all attachments.Be sure to include the attachments with the letter.

By including, these important items in your letters to school personnel, you are ensuring that yourletter is easy to read and to understand. Documentation is critical in case of a dispute between you and special education personnel, in the future. Happy Writing!!

About The Author

JoAnn Collins is the parent of two adults with disabilities, has been an educational advocate for over 15 years, an author, as well as a speaker. The recently released book: Disability Deception; Lies Disability Educators Tell and How Parents Can Beat Them at Their Own Game helps parents develop skills to be an assertive and persistent advocate for their child. To sign up for a free E newsletter entitled "The Special Education Spotlight" send an E mail to JoAnn@disabilitydeception.com. Check out her Web site at: http://www.disabilitydeception.com. Can be reached at 815-932-9263

JoAnn Collins Copyright 2008