The School Says My Student Needs a Shorter Day. Now What?

Some students with disabilities may have a school day that looks different from other students. A student might start school later, leave earlier, attend only part of the day, or have a schedule that changes over time.

If your child is being asked to have a modified school day, you may have questions:

• Why does my child need this?
• Who decides?
• How will it affect my child’s IEP services?
• How long will it last?
• Could my child eventually return to a full school day?
• What happens next?

Here are some things parents should know.

 

What Is a Modified School Day?

A modified school day means a student’s school schedule is different from the typical school day.

For example, a student may:

• Start school later.
• Leave school earlier.
• Attend school for only part of the day.
• Attend certain classes but not others.
• Have a schedule that changes as the student’s needs change.

A modified school day may be appropriate when a student’s individual needs make a full school day difficult. A shortened school day should be based on the student’s individual needs, not simply because the student’s needs are difficult for the school to manage.

Utah rules allow an exception to the length of the school day for an individual student with compelling circumstances. The amount of time the student is required to attend must be established through the student’s IEP. Utah Rule R277-419

 

Who Decides?

The IEP team, which includes the student’s parents, should consider a modified school day for a student with an IEP.

The team should consider the student’s individual needs, evaluation information, progress toward IEP goals, and the services and supports the student needs. A school should not simply decide on its own that a student will regularly attend only part of the school day because the student is struggling.

The U.S. Department of Education explains that when a shortened school day is needed because of a student’s disability-related needs, the change should be made through the IEP and placement process and based on the student’s unique needs. Read OSEP’s Questions and Answers About IDEA Discipline Provisions

 

Why Might a Student Need a Modified School Day?

There is no disability that automatically means a student should have a shortened school day.

The IEP team should look at the individual student and what they need to access their education.

For example, the team may consider:

• Medical or physical needs
• Fatigue or limited stamina
• Sensory needs
• Communication needs
• Difficulty regulating emotions or behavior
• Attention or participation needs
• Disability-related needs that make a full school day difficult
• Information from evaluations or treatment providers

A medical provider may provide helpful information about a student’s health or medical needs. However, the student’s educational placement and services are determined through the special education process.

The goal should not simply be to make the school day easier for the school.

The important question is:

What does this student need to successfully access their education and participate in school?

 

What Should the IEP Team Consider Before Shortening the School Day?

Before deciding that a modified school day is needed, the team should look at the whole picture.

How Is the Student Doing During the School Day?

The team can look at:

• When the student is successful
• When difficulties happen
• How long the student can participate
• Academic and functional performance
• Progress toward IEP goals
• Attendance
• Behavior and regulation
• Information from teachers and service providers
• What happens before and after difficult situations

What Supports Have Been Tried?

The team should also consider whether additional supports could help the student participate for more of the school day.

These might include:

• Breaks
• Changes to the classroom environment
• Supports during less-structured times, such as lunch, recess, or passing periods
• Additional adult support
• Assistive technology
• Changes to instruction
• Accommodations
• Related services
• Positive behavioral supports
• Changes to transitions or the student’s schedule

A shortened school day should not automatically be the first or only solution.

 

What About Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)?

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) is an important part of the conversation.

LRE means that students with disabilities should be educated with students without disabilities as much as appropriate for the individual student.

Utah’s special education rules explain that students should be educated with nondisabled students to the maximum extent appropriate. A student should only be removed from the regular educational environment when education there cannot be achieved satisfactorily, even with appropriate supplementary aids and services. Read the USBE Special Education Rules

This means the IEP team should consider whether additional supports could help a student participate in more of the school day before deciding that a shortened schedule is necessary.

Parents can ask:

“What supports could help my child participate in more of the school day while still meeting their individual needs?”

 

What If My Child Is Sent Home Early Because of Behavior? 

This is an important question for many families.

There is a difference between:

• A modified schedule that is determined through the IEP process because of the student’s individual disability-related needs, and
• A student being sent home early because school staff are having difficulty managing the student’s behavior.

A school should not simply send a student home early because of behavior and call it a modified school day.

If the school calls you and asks you to pick up your child early because of their behavior, this may be considered a disciplinary removal from school. The U.S. Department of Education explains that repeated early dismissals because of behavior may count as disciplinary removals, even if the school does not call them suspensions. Read OSEP’s Questions and Answers About IDEA Discipline Provisions

This does not mean that every early pickup is automatically a suspension. What matters is why the student was sent home and whether the student continued to receive instruction and the services in their IEP.

If your child is being sent home early because of behavior on a regular basis, the IEP team may need to consider whether your child needs additional behavioral supports or changes to their IEP.

This could include considering behavioral supports, a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA), or a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP).

The U.S. Department of Education explains that repeatedly shortening a student’s school day because of behavior, when the decision is made by school personnel rather than through the IEP team, can raise concerns under IDEA’s discipline requirements. The guidance also says schools should consider whether additional or different supports could help the student remain in school for the full school day. Read OSEP’s Questions and Answers About IDEA Discipline Provisions

Repeatedly sending a student home early can also raise questions about discipline, placement, and whether the student is receiving a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).

 

What About Medical or Health Needs?

Medical information can be important when the IEP team considers a student’s school schedule.

Parents may want to share information from the student’s medical or treatment providers when it is relevant to the student’s educational needs.

• For example, information about fatigue, stamina, medical treatments, physical limitations, or other health-related needs may help the IEP team understand what the student is experiencing at school.

A medical provider can provide important information about the student’s health needs, but the student’s educational placement and services are determined through the IEP process.

 

How Long Should a Modified School Day Last?

For some students, a modified school day may be needed for a period of time. For others, it may continue longer.

Utah’s rule does not say that every modified school day must be temporary. However, that does not mean a shortened schedule should simply continue without review.

If the team is using a shortened day because of the student’s current needs, the IEP team should continue to review the student’s progress and needs.

Parents can ask:

• Is this temporary or ongoing?
• When will the team review the schedule?
• What information or data will the team use to decide whether the schedule is working?
• What supports could help my child increase their time at school?
• What would need to happen before my child can attend for a longer period?
• When will we meet again to review progress?

Having clear expectations and a review date can help everyone understand what happens next.

 

What Happens to My Child’s IEP Services?

A modified school day does not mean that a student’s IEP services simply disappear.

The IEP team should discuss how the student’s services, accommodations, supports, and goals will be provided under the modified schedule.

Parents can ask:

“How will my child’s IEP services be provided while they are on this schedule?”

The team should also consider how the modified schedule affects the student’s ability to participate in the general curriculum and make progress toward their IEP goals.

If a student is attending significantly less school, it is reasonable for parents to ask how the shortened schedule will affect instruction, services, peer interaction, and progress toward IEP goals.

 

What If I Don’t Agree With the Modified Schedule?

Parents are important members of their child’s IEP team.

If you have concerns, ask the team to explain:

• Why the modified schedule is being recommended
• What information or data supports the recommendation
• What disability-related needs are leading to the recommendation
• What supports have already been tried
• What other supports could be considered
• How LRE has been considered
• How the schedule will affect IEP services
• How long the schedule is expected to last
• When the team will review the decision

You can also ask that your concerns and the team’s discussion be documented.

 

Questions Parents Can Ask at an IEP Meeting

If your child’s school is recommending a modified school day, consider bringing these questions to the meeting:

• Why does my child need a modified school day?
• What disability-related needs are leading to this recommendation?
• What information or data is the team using to make this decision?
• What supports have already been tried?
• Are there additional supports that could help my child participate for more of the school day?
• How has my child’s least restrictive environment been considered?
• Is this schedule being recommended because of my child’s disability-related needs, or because of behavior?
• How will my child’s IEP services be provided?
• Is this temporary or ongoing?
• When will we review the schedule?
• What will tell us that my child is ready to increase their school day?

 

Key Takeaway for Parents

A modified school day can sometimes be appropriate when an IEP team determines that it is necessary based on a student’s individual needs. However, a shortened school day should not simply be used because a school is having difficulty supporting a student’s behavior or disability-related needs.

The IEP team should look at the student’s needs, the supports that may help, the student’s least restrictive environment (LRE), and how the student will continue to receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).

If your child’s school is recommending a modified school day, don’t be afraid to ask questions.

You have a right to be part of the conversation about your child’s education, services, and school schedule.

The most important question is:

“What does my child need to access their education, participate in school, and make progress?”

That question can help keep the focus where it belongs: on your child’s individual needs and what supports can help them succeed.

 

Helpful Resources

 

• PBIS: Sample Positive Behavior Intervention Plans for anxiety, frustration, inattentiveness, defiance, poor attendance and more
• National Center on Intensive Intervention: RETURNING TO SCHOOL: CONSIDERATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH THE MOST INTENSIVE BEHAVIORAL NEEDS 
  • A Guide to Supporting Students With Disabilities, Their Families, and Educators
• PBIS: Creating Effective Classroom Environments Plan Template
• Utah Parent Center: Functional Behavior Assessment
• Utah Parent Center:  Behavioral Intervention Plan
• Utah State Board of Education – R277-419 Pupil Accounting
• IDEA – Placement Decisions, 34 CFR §300.116
• OSEP – Questions and Answers About IDEA Discipline Provisions
• U.S. Department of Education – IDEA Parent and Family Resources
• Utah State Board of Education – Special Education