Anyone know how long case workers have to read a student’s file?

Education Law Forum
1

My son has autism and I was informed by his case worker she wasn’t aware of it due to not reading his full file, only his IEP. She’s been seeing him since August 13th, and I was told this on September 16th. As a case worker, how long do they have to read a student’s full file? I’m just confused about the process and if this is something I should be worried about…

2

I had a similar situation with my kid’s case worker. Honestly, they should have reviewed the full file from the start, especially with a diagnosis like autism. It’s pretty important for them to know everything about the child.

3

@Grayer
Yeah, I agree. It’s a bit concerning that they didn’t look at the whole file earlier. I’d definitely ask for an explanation. Your kid deserves the best support.

4

Wylie said:
@Grayer
Yeah, I agree. It’s a bit concerning that they didn’t look at the whole file earlier. I’d definitely ask for an explanation. Your kid deserves the best support.

Exactly! I’d suggest requesting a meeting with the case worker and their supervisor to make sure this doesn’t happen again. If they don’t respond well, you might need to escalate it.

5

I think they’re supposed to read it ASAP, especially when working with kids who have special needs. If it’s been weeks, it’s definitely worth bringing up. I’d even talk to someone higher up at the school if needed.

6

@Aubrey
Yeah, I would’ve expected them to know about the autism diagnosis right away. I’d be concerned about the delay in getting the proper support.

7

@Ty
Thanks for the advice! I think I’m going to request a meeting with them to go over everything. I just want to make sure Ryan gets all the support he needs.

8

You might want to check with the school district too. They should have a process in place to ensure case workers read everything before starting. Could be a good idea to get everything documented in case you need to take further steps.

9

Just wanted to add that if the case worker hasn’t read the full file, that could lead to a lack of proper support for your child. I’d make sure they understand what’s at stake and how important it is to have all the information.

10

@Blair
Exactly! I’ve been so stressed about this. I’ll make sure they have a clear understanding moving forward. Thanks for the support!