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Letter 22: Request for an Extended School Year Determination

When to Use It

Send this letter in late winter or early spring, well before the school year winds down. Extended school year (ESY) services are the special education and related services in the IEP, continued beyond the normal school year, at no cost to you (34 C.F.R. § 300.106(b)). The IEP team must provide them if it determines, on an individual basis, that they are necessary for your child to receive a free appropriate public education (34 C.F.R. § 300.106(a)(2)). Two limits protect you: the district may not restrict ESY to particular categories of disability, and it may not unilaterally limit the type, amount, or duration of the services (34 C.F.R. § 300.106(a)(3)).

The strongest ESY case is built on data - what your child lost over past breaks, and how long it took to get it back. Tool 71 shows how to build that record over winter break. This letter puts the data in front of the team and asks for a decision early enough to plan the summer.

Send it to: the director of special education and your child’s IEP team chairperson. Copy the case manager.