Observation Guidelines

Guidelines for Observation Requested by Parent’s/Guardians and/or Parent/Guardian Designees 

Effective January 8, 2009, Massachusetts General Law Chapter 71B, Section 3, has been amended to require schools, upon request by a parent/guardian, to grant timely and sufficient access to parents/guardians and parent-designated independent evaluators and educational consultants to a child’s current and/or proposed special education program.  The parent/guardian and or the parent/guardian’s designee can observe the child in the current program and/or a program that has been recommended by the child’s IEP team.  Section 3, as amended, limits the restrictions or conditions that schools may impose on these observations.  The purpose of the law is to ensure that parents/guardians can participate fully and effectively in determining the child’s appropriate education program

The following represent general guidelines for the scheduling and conduct of such observations.

Requests by Parent(s)/Guardian(s) to observe their child’s educational program or a program that has been recommended by the child’s IEP Team must be submitted to the building Principal no less than five days in advance of the proposed observation.  Requests for observations shall be responded to in a timely manner by the Principal or Principal’s designee. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) or outside observers/evaluators will be offered observation dates and times that are mutually convenient and without undue and unnecessary delay.

2.  Parent(s)/Guardian(s) are asked to submit their observation request in writing to the Principal and/or Special Education Program Administrator at their child’s school to include the following information:

a. Student’s name
b. Parent’s/Guardian’s name, telephone, and/or email contact information.
c. Student’s classroom teacher and assigned grade.
d. 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
e. Purpose of the observation, including any particular part of the school day
the observer wishes to see, and the desired outcome of the observation.
f. Signed Authorization to Share Information form giving permission for the  
district and observer to exchange information, including directly arranging the
schedule for the observation.
 

3. The Principal shall notify the building’s Special Education Program Administrator upon receipt of a request for observation and prior to scheduling of the observations.

4. Observations should be completed within two (2) hours in order to minimize disruption of the classroom/programs in which the specific student is to be observed.  Where appropriate, additional observation time shall be provided on a case-by-case basis. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) and/or their designated observer shall be allowed to observe and to ensure the specific student’s academic classes as well as the non-academic components of the child’s educational program.

5. The number of observers at any one time may be limited to avoid disruption of the classroom learning environment to be observed and to ensure the integrity of the educational program for the students within the classroom. 

6. If the observer is not the parent/guardian, the parent/guardian must sign a release authorizing an observation by the Parent(s)/Guardian(s) designee and permitting communication and the exchange of information regarding the child with the Parent(s)/Guardian(s) designated observer.  That written release shall be submitted to the building Principal or Special Education Program Administrator prior to the scheduling of the observation.  This release does not allow for the release of records.

7. The observer must sign a Student Observation Confidentiality Agreement prior to the start of the observation. 

8. The observer will be accompanied at all times by a designated school staff person while in the school building.  The observer will not be permitted to interrupt, disrupt, or otherwise interfere with the instructional services taking place in any school classroom. In the event of improper or disruptive conduct, program/classroom staff may suspend the observation and shall immediately notify the building Principal or Special Education Program Administrator.  Upon such notice, the building Principal or Principal’s Designee may exercise the authority to terminate the observation.

9. The observer shall be situated in a designated location in the classroom that does not interfere with the class or the delivery of instruction to students. 

10. The observer will not take photographs, videotape, or voice record during the observation.

11. Observers will not be provided access to the student record information of any student other than the specific student under observation.  During any such observation, the classroom teacher is encouraged to refrain from using students’ last names and to avoid disclosing or revealing personal or private information pertaining to any student other than the specific child under observation. 

12. Request for observation and access to a child’s classroom or program by a non-custodial parent (parent without physical custody of the child) shall be responded to in a manner consistent with the requirements of M.G.L.c.71, 34H

FORMS TO REQUEST OBSERVATION