Education Law

As the school year comes to a close, many students and their families begin to worry about end of the year grades. 

 What can you, as a parent, do to help your child get the best grades possible?  It is important to remember that it is up to the teacher, not the parent, to grade the student.  The best that you can do is to help the child develop good homework and study habits at home and, if your child has a disability, advocate for your child to receive the accommodations necessary to receive a free appropriate public education.

There is no legal requirement that I am aware of that allows a parent to dispute a grade unless of course the parent alleges that the student was discriminated against or that the student’s IEP was not followed (pursuant to IDEA).  If you believe that the grade is the result of discrimination, an inadequate IEP or a IEP that was not followed then you should immediately bring your contention to the attention of the principal and if necessary the superintendent, board of education or state department of education.

Also, during the course of the year you should keep copies of graded tests, homework and report cards.  If the final grade is way out of line with the documented and graded work for the year then you should request a meeting with the school principal and the teacher to see if a mistake was made and to request an explanation for the grade.

You can also consult your school handbook and see if there is a grading appeal process.  If there is and you believe your child was not graded fairly then you can follow those procedures.

In the end, however, it is the school district that will determine your child’s grade unless you have grounds for a legal appeal based on discrimination or through the IDEA.  If you are unhappy with the grade then you should take some time to consider how things could turn out differently next year.  Perhaps your child needs some accommodations in school or better study habits at home.  A meeting with your child’s new teacher(s) may be in order in September.  In the meantime, enjoy the summer and take the time to work on any remedial skills that your child may need.

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