Your Name
Street Address
City, ST ZIP Code
Phone
Email
Date
[School District]
Street Address
City, ST ZIP Code
Dear [School District]:
I am [insert Student’s name]’s parent, and I am writing to express that I am not in agreement with [School District’s] decision to not allow [Student] to graduate in [graduation date].
Graduation Requirements
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Arizona state law, IDEA-eligible students are entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) from ages 3 to 21 (or to age 22, if their birthday occurs prior to the end of the school year), or until they receive a regular high school diploma. In order to earn a regular high school diploma in Arizona, students must earn a minimum of 22 credits. The Arizona Administrative Code breaks down the credit requirements:
- Four credits of English or English as a Second Language;
- Three credits in social studies to include one credit of American history, including: Arizona history; one credit of world history/geography; one-half credit of American government, including Arizona government; and one-half credit of economics.
- Four credits of mathematics to minimally include Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2 (or a personal curriculum), and a fourth course that contains high school content.
- Three credits of science in preparation for proficiency at the high school level on the statewide science assessment.
- One credit of fine arts or career and technical education and vocational education.
- Seven credits of additional courses prescribed by the local school district governing board or charter school. A.A.C. R7-2-302
The District argues that [insert student’s name] has not met the requirements to graduate. [Insert student’s name] has earned [insert number of credits] credits to date, and will earn [insert number of credits] prior to the date of graduation. [Insert reasoning why the credits earned should count towards the diploma].
[School District]
Date
Page 2
- [Student]’s IEP goals, such as [insert example of IEP goal], are aligned with the same academic standards to which non-disabled students are held.
- [Student] is functioning at [xx] level in [reading, writing, math, IQ, etc.] according to [his/her] most recent evaluation conducted by [District/private evaluator]. This demonstrates that [Student] has the ability to participate in and pass the required courses such as [select academic course from list above, such as Algebra 1, World History, etc.] with reasonable accommodations and modifications.
- [Student] has demonstrated competency in the required courses as set forth by A.A.C. R7-2- 302(5).
- [Student] has received the minimum number of credits required by [School District] for graduation.
I am looking forward to your response. Please confirm you have received this request within 48 hours.
Sincerely,
[insert signature]
Your Name
