S P E C I A L E D

Manifestation Determination Review (MDR)

How to prepare for an MDR?

Gather and review relevant documents: IEP or 504 Plan, information about the incident, MDR worksheet, documentation of child’s behavior, and report from child’s provider. Prepare notes of what you want to say during the meeting. Invite others who can support you or get Letters of Support

You can bring an attorney or advocate with you to the MDR. The school can invite (and you can ask the school to invite) teachers, a guidance counselor, your child’s paraprofessional (if he or she has one), and / or staff who saw the incident

A child CANNOT be removed from class or suspended for behavior caused by a student’s disability or when a district is not following a child’s IEP.

K N O W Y O U R R I G H T S : I M M I G R A N T S T U D E N T S

T H E B I G S I X

Right to School Right to Language

NY youth (ages 421) have the right to go to school regardless of his or her immigration status, or family’s immigration status.

Right to Choice Right to Information Right to Protection

Youth and their families have the right to be told if the student is at risk of suspension or repeating a grade.

If a student needs help learning English, they have the right to choose either a bilingual or English as a New Language (ENL) program.

Youth have the right to apply to public schools of their choice for elementary, middle, and high school.

Right to Equity & Inclusion

Youth and their families have the right to receive schoolrelated information translated into their preferred language.

Youth are entitled to receive an education without being discriminated because of their race, immigration status, country of origin, or ethnicity.

If you have a problem accessing your rights, you can call the Advocates for Children Helpline, or file a complaint by calling the DOE’s language access complaint line at (718) 935-2013.