Communicating with Your Child’s School

Teen at school. Effective communication is the cornerstone to ensuring that your child will have her needs met at school, and be successful in school endeavors. It is important to ensure that teachers, the school nurse and other school staff have current and accurate information about your child and her health issues. It is important to remember that your child is a special individual, and her health and education needs are unique to her. Although school personnel may have worked with other students with the same or similar diagnoses, had a family member with the same diagnoses, or read information about the diagnosis, that does not prepare them to work with your child. The information that the school receives from you will be the most valuable in enabling them to develop the best school program for your child. Remember, you and the school staff both have the same objective – doing what is best for your child.

So, how does one go about establishing good lines of communication with the school? The following list provides guidelines to establishing and maintaining effective connections between you, your child and the school.

Be sure to ask your child’s physician about her recommendations for school reentry. She will be able to tell you when your child may return to school, if there are any special modifications that your child may need at school, and provide suggestions regarding information to share with the school nurse. If your child is a patient at KU Med, the hospital school teacher, Kathy Davis, will talk to you about school reentry issues and is available to provide consultation and inservice for your child’s teachers, school staff and peers. In addition, interactive televideo connection may be available so routine conferences may be held between the school and the hospital. While at the hospital, you can even have parent-teacher conferences through this technology!
If your child has just recently been diagnosed with a chronic illness, there is much new information that you are learning. The hospital is likely to give you pamphlets, booklets and other sources of written information about your child’s diagnosis. Ask for an extra copy of each to share with the school. The hospital may also have literature that was designed specifically for school personnel.
If your child has had a chronic illness for awhile and the school is aware of the diagnosis, it is still important to have regular, ongoing conferences regarding the current status of your child’s health with school staff. For example, if your child has lupus, there may be periods when the disease is in remission and other times when the disease flares. School personnel need to be alert to watching for changes in your child’s physical status. Students with sickle cell anemia will need to take different types of precautions at recess during periods of extreme heat or cold. School personnel must be made aware of these issues.
Conferences should be held on a regular basis. At least once a year, at the beginning of the school year, you should ask to meet with all school personnel who interact with your child – teachers, secretary, school nurse, administrator, music and PE teachers, etc. Conferences with your child’s teacher(s) should be held at least quarterly, more often if your child’s health status changes. If you are concerned about any aspect of your child’s school program, it is best to contact the appropriate school staff member right away, rather than waiting until a bigger problem exists.
Effective, on-going communication is more difficult when the student is in secondary school, interacting with multiple teachers each day. It is, however, just as important for the teachers to have accurate information about the child’s health. The initial conference at the beginning of the year should include all teachers. After that, you may decide to conference with individual teachers, or ask the school counselor or nurse to share information with individual teachers.
A spiral notebook that goes back and forth between school and home may be an effective communication tool, especially on the elementary level. For example, if your child with diabetes has been having fluctuating blood sugars, you and the school nurse can keep one another apprised through documenting blood sugar readings in the notebook. Or, if your child with JRA or cancer is on steroids that may cause mood alterations, you and the teacher can update one another on the child’s mood at home and school. E-mail may be another effective method to share information on a daily basis.
If your child needs any accommodations, modifications or special education services, she should have a written plan that defines what those services will be. If she needs accommodations or modifications, the plan is called a 504 Plan (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act). If she needs specifically designed instruction to meet her unique learning needs, she would need to have an Individualized Education Program (IEP), as described in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
It is important for your child, you and the school staff that everyone feels comfortable with your child’s school situation. If that is not the case, work with the school to find solutions. It is true that teachers are very busy, but they want what is best for your child. Often, it is just a matter of good communication on both sides, and ensuring that you are working in concert with one another. Don’t give up – school is the best place for your child to be, and a good school experience will make your child feel better and happier!

For more information, please contact:

Kathy Davis, MSEd, PhD
kdavis2@kumc.edu
(913) 588-6305