Asking a West Virginia School to Evaluate Your Child for ADHD

The team that receives your request

Every West Virginia public school has a Student Assistance Team, usually called the SAT. Under Policy 2419, the state's special education rule, it has at least three members: a school administrator or designee who chairs it, a current teacher, and other professional staff as needed.

The SAT is where a parent's written request lands. Policy 2419 says a parent, a teacher or any other interested person may refer a student who is suspected of needing special education. It also says a member of the SAT must give written assistance to parents who need help putting a request in writing, so you do not have to get the wording perfect on your own.

The state's Section 504 guidance for families describes the same starting point. Parents may submit a written evaluation request, and the school then convenes the SAT. This article is general information, not legal advice.

The first school days after you write

Policy 2419 sets short, specific steps once a written referral for an evaluation arrives. Within five school days, the right people must be told the date, time and place of the meeting. Within 10 school days of receiving the referral, the SAT must review the areas of concern, look at the school data it has, including any interventions already tried, and decide on further action.

The SAT has three options. It can try or adjust classroom interventions, with a review no later than 45 school days. It can request an initial evaluation. Or, when a parent has made a written request, it decides whether the evaluation will happen and gives the parent prior written notice of that decision and a copy of the procedural safeguards.

Policy 2419 also says problem-solving must not be used to delay a request for an initial evaluation where immediate action is warranted. If the SAT decides to evaluate, you receive the notice and a request for your consent within five days. If it refuses a written parental request, you receive prior written notice and the safeguards within five days.

The 80-day clock

For special education, the clock starts when your signed consent arrives. Policy 2419 says the principal, teacher or another designated person documents the date written consent is received. Within 80 calendar days of that documented date, the school must complete a full, individual initial evaluation and convene an eligibility committee.

Section 504 has a matching limit in the state guidance. It says an initial Section 504 evaluation should be completed in a reasonable amount of time, not to exceed 80 calendar days from receipt of parental consent. For the eligibility committee meeting, it adds that days when schools are unexpectedly closed, such as for inclement weather, a state of emergency and summer break, could extend this timeline.

It helps to keep a copy of everything you sign, with the date. If a date seems to slip, ask the school how it is counting.

How ADHD fits the West Virginia rules

Policy 2419 lists attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among the health problems that can fall under "other health impairment" for special education. Eligibility also requires educational needs that come from the condition, an adverse effect on educational performance, and a need for special education.

One criterion speaks to who may diagnose. The rule says the condition must be diagnosed and described by a licensed physician, APRN or PA, with the exception of ADHD, which can also be diagnosed by a school psychologist or licensed psychologist.

Section 504 works differently. The West Virginia Department of Education describes it as covering public school students with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Its guidance says Section 504 does not require a doctor's medical diagnosis, that a student with ADHD can be identified through an evaluation by a school psychologist, and that if a district decides a medical diagnosis is required, it must pay for it. A doctor's diagnosis alone does not establish eligibility.

Bringing a private evaluation to the school

Some families arrange a private evaluation to understand their child more fully, at home as well as in class. For special education, the state's procedural safeguards say that if you share an evaluation obtained at private expense, the school must consider the results, if it meets the school's criteria, in decisions about your child's education.

For Section 504, the state guidance says the law does not provide for independent educational evaluations at county expense, but that a county must carefully consider any such evaluations presented. Considering a report is not the same as agreeing with it.

How we can help

Locascio Wellness offers a child ADHD evaluation by secure video. The young person must be physically located in Pennsylvania, West Virginia or Arizona during appointments, and a parent or guardian arranges it and takes part. Our reports are co-signed by a supervising licensed psychologist. Because schools set their own criteria, ask your SAT what it needs and who must sign, and share that with us before you book.

An evaluation usually involves an intake appointment, one or two sessions, and then the written report, which at the moment is usually ready about a month after the first evaluation appointment. Evaluations are private-pay with a sliding scale available; see what evaluations cost.

The quickest first step is the short evaluation request form, or you can book a free 15-minute consultation. For ongoing support, therapists on our team offer child therapy and teen therapy by video. If your child is in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911. Locascio Wellness does not provide emergency services.