|
When a child who is
receiving special education services reaches the age of 18, North Dakota
law requires that an IEP meeting be held and the student’s progress toward
graduation be reviewed. The team must then determine whether the district’s
graduation requirements and the student’s goals and objectives have been
met. Students are promoted or retained according to the local education
criteria, unless specific learner requirements are waived under his IEP.
Some districts allow graduation requirements to be waived (social promotion)
and some do not. Each district’s graduation criteria may differ, so be
sure to contact your district, especially if you move and/or change schools
because of open enrollment.
Common
questions families have concerning graduation:
Are precautions
required when my child graduates from high school?
Yes! High school graduation is
considered a change in placement for a student who has a disability.
If a student decides to graduate before the age of 21, special education
and related services will cease.
My child is 18, has graduated from high
school and received a diploma. Can he get special education services under
IDEA until he is 21?
NO! IDEA does not cover post-secondary
education. High school graduation and granting the high school diploma
means the student has completed his secondary education program.
My child will soon turn 18 and has enough
credits to graduate, but has not completed all of his or her IEP objectives.
Can he/she get special education services under IDEA until he is 21?
YES! If your son/daughter’s IEP
team agrees that your son or daughter needs time to complete his/her IEP
objectives, then he/she can continue to receive special education services
until he/she is 21 years old, as long as he does not graduate. All students
must exit the system upon graduation, or at age 21, whichever comes first.
My son or daughter wants very much to
graduate with his/her peers when they turn 18, and we believe he/she should
continue with his education until he/she is 21. Can he/she go through the
graduation ceremony and continue to receive special education until he
or she is 21?
Maybe not!
Some districts
will
allow a student to go through the graduation ceremony at age 18 and receive
a certificate, but not a diploma. Other districts
will not allow
for early graduation and require the student’s absence from the ceremony
until they are ready to graduate. Be sure to check your district’s
requirements and to check again if you move. Letting districts decide this
issue on an individual basis is sometimes referred to as "local control".
My child is 18 and has graduated from
high school. Will he or she now be eligible for adult services?
Maybe! An adult service provider
may wish to serve your son/daughter. However, the Department of Human Services
may not reimburse the adult service provider for the cost of that service,
if the student could have continued in school to the age of 21. Without
reimbursement, the provider will be forced to either charge the student/family
(which many families cannot afford) or decline to provide the service.
The Department of Human Services
and the Department of Public Instruction do have an agreement, in which
eligible students with disabilities can begin to receive some adult services
at age 18, while continuing to receive other services through the school.
The agreement is complex and participation by the local school district
is voluntary. Information about the agreement can be found at the Department
of Public Instruction’s Transition
web site. Check there for more information and with your local school district
or case manager to see if your child is eligible.
My child will soon be 18 and needs support
to make the transition from high school and living at home, to adult life.
What kinds of transition options are available?
Some districts have a special
transition program for students between the ages of 18-21 that takes place
off campus. Planning and support to complete IEP objectives and secure
a successful transition to higher education, or preparing the student to
live on his/her own and/or hold down a full or part-time job are provided.
Other districts work out individual transition plans to adult service programs
during the last few months the student is still in high school. Some districts
do both. Remember that planning for transition should begin long before
the age of 18, starting as young as 14 years of age. Involving your son/daughter
in the IEP process can help them gain problem-solving skills.
My son/daughter will probably not be
able to meet district requirements for completion in math and science.
Can those requirements be waived?
Yes! But
. . . any local school district in North Dakota can waive district
learner requirements in order to meet the needs of a student in special
education. However, some districts do NOT allow for a waiver. Each local
district must decide whether waivers will be permitted. When allowed, the
waiver must be specified on the IEP to be considered valid by the district.
For more information,
visit the Transition
web
site maintained by the Department of Public
Instruction.
|
