Community Advocate Question:

Download Questions PDF

In evaluating a student’s special needs, a school district first assesses a student’s academic skills including the ability to read, write and compute. These are areas in which the district has primary expertise and can legitimately diagnose a disability. Schools are not, however, able to diagnose mental illness. This is the express responsibility of clinicians with specialized training and credentials, experience and expertise. This makes advocacy for students with emotional problems considerably easier because the diagnosis of the problem and the expertise regarding interventions begins outside the school district’s purview. It is rare that a school district disputes a psychiatrist’s diagnosis. School districts are prohibited from opining regarding a student’s medications.