Son Is Not Ready to Graduate

A mother disagrees with the administrators of her son's school, who believe he has received a "fair and appropriate public education" and should graduate.

My 17-year-old, who has ADHD, is a "senior" this year because he's in his twelfth year of school. He has had an IEP since second grade and is in both LD and emotional support classes. He has a D average or lower. The school says he should graduate this year because he has received a "Fair Appropriate Public Education" (FAPE). It seems to me that if he is still functioning below average, he should be able to continue in school instead of graduating. I asked about keeping him in school until he's 21 at his last IEP meeting, but they used the "FAPE" argument. Do I have any recourse?

Sounds like this is one for the lawyers. Take a look at attorney Lawrence M. Siegel's book, The Complete IEP Guide: How to Advocate for Your Special Ed Child.

For more than 20 years, Eileen Marzola has worked with children and adults with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders, and with their parents and teachers. She has been a regular education classroom teacher, a consultant teacher/resource teacher, an educational evaluator/diagnostician, and has also taught graduate students at the university level. Marzola is an adjunct assistant professor of education at Teachers College, Columbia University, and Hunter College of the City University of New York. She also maintains a private practice in the evaluation and teaching of children with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders.

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