Observation Guidelines

Introduction

The purpose of An Act to Provide Access to Information for Parents and Evaluators (House Bill No. 391) is to protect the rights of parents in participation fully and effectively with school personnel in the development of appropriate educational programs for their children. To that end, the Bedford Public Schools has established guidelines regarding parents' observations of their child or child's program conducted by themselves, their educational advocate, or an evaluator. The cooperation of school and parent is essential to ensure the safety of children and the integrity of the program while under observation. The district's guidelines for observations of students and programs are as follows:

Requesting an Observation

• Parents are asked to submit their observation requests in writing to the Team Chairperson at their child's school to include the following information:
  • Student's name
  • Parent's name, telephone and/or email contact information
  • Student's classroom teacher and assigned grade
  • Observer's name, and if the observer is someone other than the parent, any relevant affiliation of the observer, along with telephone number and/or email contact information
  • Purpose of the observation, including any particular part of the school day the observer wishes to see, and the desired outcome of the observation.
  • Signed Release of Information (see attached form) giving permission for the district and observer to exchange information, including directly arranging the schedule for the observation.
• A request for observation shall be made to the Principal minimally 2 days in advance of the requested observation date. Principals will immediately notify the teachers involved and determine the appropriateness of the specific date requested.
• The building principal shall notify the Director of Special Education of the request to observe/evaluate.
• Different observation requests may require more planning and observation time than others depending on the complexity of the student's needs being evaluated or observed. For example, timely access following a request to observe a specific classroom, which the parties agree, can be achieved in an hour. In other instances, such as when a designee needs to observe the current and proposed programs, including periods of unstructured time to observe a student's interactions and responses, the observation may take longer to schedule. The duration and extent of the observation will be determined on an individual basis.
• For evaluators, observations may occur at greater frequency to complete an assessment. An evaluator must be credentialed/licensed in the area being evaluated. This will also be scheduled with the Principal or his/her designee. The Principal has the authority to determine the number, times, and dates of observations by visitors. This will be done in consultation with staff so as to give adequate notice to the staff of the impending visits.
• The district does not generally schedule observations for certain portions of the year such as during MCAS testing or during the first few weeks of school or the month of June. In addition, because it may not be possible to accommodate all requests during the last quarter of the year, parents are urged to submit any observation request they may have as early as practicable in the school year. School staff retains its right and obligation to restrict program observation where necessary to protect the safety of a child or the integrity of program.

Expectations during the Observation

• For evaluators, the length of the observation shall be a reasonable time to address the purpose of the observation and desired outcome and shall be limited to an amount of time agreed upon by the evaluator and school principal/designee.
• The number of people scheduled to observe a child or program at one time shall be limited to 2 people and no children may accompany a parent, advocate, or evaluator.
• A school staff member will accompany the observer during the observation period. Given the ongoing responsibility of teachers or therapists to serve students, they will generally not be available for conversation during or immediately before/after the observation period.
• Those observing will be seated in an area that will not disrupt instruction.
• Staff members involved in a classroom observation will welcome observers to the class but will not interact with the observers before, during, or immediately after the observation period. Discussion of the observation may take place at a subsequent conference. Discussions should last no more than 20 minutes unless a Team Meeting is scheduled.
• Those observing shall respect student confidentiality and shall not share any impressions of other students with anyone. Observers will be asked to sign a statement (see attached form) that in the event that they obtain personally identifiable or confidential information during the course of an evaluation/observation, they will not disclose it.
• School safety procedures will be adhered to at all times. All visitors must register in the main office up arriving and sign out when leaving. Any visitor who fails to comply with school regulations will be asked to leave the school grounds immediately.
• Principals retain the authority to exercise their discretion at any time to reschedule or terminate an observation in the event of a building emergency or a disruption that impacts the physical or emotional wellbeing of the children in the school or the program being observed or when necessary to protect:
  • The safety of the children in the program during the observation;
  • The integrity of the program during the observation; and
  • Children in the program from disclosure by an observer of confidential or personally identifiable information he/she may obtain while observing the program.

Follow Up

If the parent request a Team Meeting and evaluation was conducted as part of the observation, the evaluator shall provide a written evaluation report to the district at least 10 days prior to the scheduled Team Meeting.