Hi all - I am attempting to get my son’s elementary school to hire his current care attendant as his 1:1 aide for kindergarten next year. We currently employ the attendant via Medicaid funding, and he’s been with my son everyday at (private) prek for the last two years. He takes my son to all his therapies and is extremely attuned to his needs. My son is profoundly physically disabled (no independent ambulation, non verbal due to muscular weakness and dystonia). He is intellectually typical and uses an eye gaze device and non-verbal communication to indicate his needs and engage socially. The school agrees he needs a 1:1 but says they don’t have any openings to hire his (highly qualified) current aide.
Do we have any recourse? I recently obtained a letter from his neurology team stating that they recommend a “familiar caregiver” to ease the transition to kindergarten. Is anyone aware of any studies or legal precedent supporting this kind of request? Anyone had success getting this kind of request integrated into an IEP?
