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Can school refuse to give homework assignments to a diabetic student if she misses a class?

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Jay968

Member
What is the name of your state?California

Not sure if this is the place to post this but here goes;

My granddaughter is a type 1 diabetic in the 8th grade. She occasionally misses classes (maybe once every couple of weeks or so) due to her condition and the school is refusing to give her the homework assignments for those days she misses, expecting her to make them up (in addition to her new work) when she returns. This is putting an undo burden on her as she feels she is being penalized by having to do MORE work when she is in school. She is honest, a good student and the parent spoke with the school about this. They say all they can do is give the kid the same number of days to make up the assignments as she had to do it had she been in class but they would not allow the teacher to give the assignment to the parent when the kid isn't there.
On the other hand I can actually understand a school not wanting to give a student work based on a missed classroom lesson. So I see both sides.

Anyway, under disability laws, does the school actually have the right to refuse giving her the requested assignments if she does not attend class for a day or two at a time? Or at least should some kind of provision be set up to accommodate her?
 
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quincy

Senior Member
Jay, how much time to make up missed assignments does the classroom teacher typically give all other absent students?

Does your granddaughter attend a public or a private school?

If your granddaughter needs to miss class on a regular basis due to her diabetes, she and her parents/guardian can request an accommodation to allow for additional time to complete necessary class assignments.
 
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Jay968

Member
Jay, how much time to make up missed assignments does the classroom teacher typically give all other absent students?
I honestly don't know the answer to that

Does your granddaughter attend a public or a private school?
Public

If your granddaughter needs to miss class on a regular basis due to her diabetes, she and her parents/guardian can request an accommodation to allow for additional time to complete necessary class assignments.
Her mother had a talk with teacher(s) who pretty much told her she must be given assignments when returning from any absence and complete those assignments in the same amount of time alloted (so if the assignment was due in 5 days, she would have 5 days from the time she was given the assignment upon her return to school). No additional time was granted. The problem here is that she then has double the amount of assignments to complete due to new ones being given on top of the old ones. Plus she then has to also find time in order to catch up with the lessons she missed. I just wonder if this is causing an undo burden on her that is not her fault.
 

not2cleverRed

Obvious Observer
Her mother had a talk with teacher(s) who pretty much told her she must be given assignments when returning from any absence and complete those assignments in the same amount of time alloted (so if the assignment was due in 5 days, she would have 5 days from the time she was given the assignment upon her return to school). No additional time was granted. The problem here is that she then has double the amount of assignments to complete due to new ones being given on top of the old ones. Plus she then has to also find time in order to catch up with the lessons she missed. I just wonder if this is causing an undo burden on her that is not her fault.
Your granddaughter has what is considered a "Hidden Disability" (diabetes is explicitly mentioned in the link quincy shared).

Whether the teachers are violating Federal law by stringently enforcing their absence policy is something the mother could consider. Rather than working individually with teachers, your granddaughter's parents should contact the school administration and guidance counsellor. (And up the bureaucratic ladder, until there is a satisfactory resolution, or there is no higher to go.)
 

Jay968

Member
Your granddaughter has what is considered a "Hidden Disability" (diabetes is explicitly mentioned in the link quincy shared).

Whether the teachers are violating Federal law by stringently enforcing their absence policy is something the mother could consider. Rather than working individually with teachers, your granddaughter's parents should contact the school administration and guidance counsellor. (And up the bureaucratic ladder, until there is a satisfactory resolution, or there is no higher to go.)
Thank you, we will take your advice.
 

FlyingRon

Senior Member
My son was a diabetic and so I understand your issues. It sometimes takes the threat of a 504 suit (what covers disabilities like this) to wake them up. There are attorneys that specialize in this, but I've found just PHYSICALLY showing up in the counselor's or principal's office and taking to them will often get things going (my wife had tried calling for weeks prior to me doing this and she was teacher in another school in the same district).
 

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