IDEA Complaint Decision 17-081

On November 17, 2017, the Department of Public Instruction (department) received a complaint under state and federal special education law from XXXXX against the River Valley School District (district). This is the department’s decision regarding that complaint. The issue is whether the district, during the 2017-18 school year, properly implemented the individualized education program (IEP) for a student with a disability regarding provision of an organized homework program.

On March 2, 2017, the IEP team met to develop the student’s annual IEP. During that meeting, the parent shared concerns for enhancing the education of the student. The parent requested the district use an organized homework program to allow the parent to reinforce and support what is going on in the classroom. The parent provided an example of the type of organized homework system he wanted the district to commit to. District staff responded by noting “organized homework program” under the parent concerns section of the IEP and a teacher orally agreed to “get something together for supplemental work but continue for now with [an online personalized learning website].”

When the teacher agreed to provide supplemental work, they agreed to providing a general resource for the family but it was not considered an IEP service. Members on the IEP team, with the exception of the parent, did not believe an organized homework program was necessary to provide the student with a free, appropriate public education (FAPE). There is no mention of an organized homework program in the program summary of the student’s IEP. Similarly, the online personalized learning website was provided to the student as a resource but was not included in the program summary of the student’s IEP. The district did not commit to providing an organized homework program as part of their offer of FAPE documented in the student’s IEP and therefore was not required to implement a specific organized homework program.