PLACEMENT CHANGES:

Altered School Day

Definition

Changing the student's school day in order to start late, end early, etc. 

NOTE: If the student is parentally placed in a care and treatment program, that is a different circumstance, in which case the school is responding to the placement and modifying the student’s schedule to accommodate.

Who Makes the Placement Decision?

The IEP team can decide to alter a student’s day. However, the determination should:

• Be a rare occurrence

• Occur with strong, legally defensive rationale

• Have a start and end date for the (timeline) for the altered day

The most common situation that meets these criteria is a medically fragile student.

Considerations and Next Steps

A Special Services Supervisor (SSS) needs to be consulted prior to the initiation of an altered school day. If the determination is made to move forward, then schedule an IEP meeting to propose the change of placement and determine how, when, and by whom services will be provided. 

Regardless of a student’s educational placement, IEP teams need to determine how special education services will be delivered. Students may access special education services virtually, in person, or a combination of virtual and in-person (e.g., speech virtual but reading and DAPE in person), based on the method that best meets their needs. 

Amendment Paperwork

Complete amendment paperwork in alignment with procedure.

LRE Statement in IEP

The LRE, regardless of setting, always has the same three considerations: 

1. Where instruction will take place: Specialized instruction can be provided in a variety of formats, including online

2. What the student will be missing: The specific classes and activities that the student will not participate in so that they may receive their specialized instruction

3. Why this is the student’s LRE: The explanation needs to be more specific than, “Because his skills are discrepant from peers, Johnny will receive…" Thorough rationales explain the features of specialized instruction that (1) are necessary for the student and (2) cannot be reasonably offered in a less restrictive setting.

SpEd Forms action: Under LRE, check 'Altered School Day'

Example statements: 

• Medically Fragile: "John was born with Alobar Holoprosencephaly (single lobed brain structure). He requires the support of a licensed nurse throughout his day. Due to his neurological needs, shortened days are needed. John's altered school day will be from 8:30 to 1:50 on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. This shortened school day will allow John to get the rest that he needs so that he is able to participate more fully while he is at school. John needs additional sleep/rest to help him stay healthy."

• Transition Program: "Ally will be attending the Pine County Transition Program on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at this time. This is necessary as Ally will be babysitting her nephew in addition to working with her mother in an office setting. The Transition Program is able to be flexible in order to accommodate Ally's work experiences outside of the Transition Program. Her schedule will be reviewed quarterly in the event that her work schedule changes and she is able to access further programming in the transition program."