The 7th grade switch: moving an IEP or 504 plan to Rutherford County Schools

Why 7th grade means a new district

Murfreesboro City Schools is an elementary-only district. It describes its focus as “prekindergarten through sixth grade,” and its schools all serve those grades. Middle and high schools in Murfreesboro are run by Rutherford County Schools.

So a Murfreesboro City Schools student doesn’t just change buildings after 6th grade. They change school districts, with a different special education department, different staff, and sometimes different ways of doing things. Families coming from Rutherford County elementary schools change buildings too, but they stay in the same district. That’s why this move deserves a little extra planning.

What happens to an IEP

The new district has to have an IEP ready. Under the federal special education law (IDEA), at the beginning of each school year, every school district must have an IEP in effect for each child with a disability it serves. So when 7th grade starts, Rutherford County Schools is responsible for your child’s IEP.

The new team can adopt, revise, or rewrite it. The Tennessee Department of Education’s special education manual says when a student moves between Tennessee districts, the new IEP team can adopt the current IEP, revise it, or write a new one. If the eligibility paperwork comes with the IEP, the new district doesn’t need to redo your child’s eligibility.

No gap in services. For a student who moves to a new Tennessee district during the school year, federal law says the new district must provide services comparable to the old IEP, working with the parents, until it adopts that IEP or writes a new one. Tennessee’s manual gives an example timeline for those moves: meet within 10 school days of enrollment and finish a new IEP within 30 calendar days. The 7th grade switch usually happens over the summer instead, which is why the start-of-year rule above is the one that applies. Either way, your child shouldn’t start middle school without their IEP.

Records. Tennessee keeps IEPs and 504 plans in one statewide system called TN PULSE, which every district can use. When Murfreesboro City Schools has answered families’ middle school questions in the past, it said no form is needed from the city schools and student records move to the middle school electronically. Keep your own copy anyway.

Changes come with notice. If the new team wants to change services, it has to tell you in writing before it does, with the reasons. That’s called prior written notice, and you can ask for it if you don’t get it.

Transition planning is coming. Rutherford County Schools starts transition planning for life after high school as part of the IEP as students reach 14, which for many kids is 8th grade. It’s worth asking about at the first 7th grade meeting.

What happens to a 504 plan

Section 504 plans move too, but the rules are a little different from an IEP. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights says that when a student with a 504 plan moves to a new district, a group at the new district who understands the evaluation and the options reviews the plan. If they decide the plan is appropriate, the district is required to carry it out. If not, the new district does its own evaluation and decides on a plan.

A few things to know:

• Ask for the 504 meeting at the middle school early, rather than waiting to see whether the accommodations carry over.
• Middle school often needs new accommodations that didn’t matter in elementary school, like extra time between classes, help with a locker, or a copy of class notes.
• If you disagree with what the new district decides, you have the right to an impartial hearing.

Our IEP and 504 guide explains the difference between the two plans.

Gifted IEPs and dyslexia plans

Gifted IEPs. In Tennessee, “Intellectually Gifted” is a special education category, so a gifted IEP is an IEP like any other and the same move rules apply. Ask the middle school what gifted services look like in 7th grade, since they can look very different from elementary school. Our giftedness guide has more.

Dyslexia plans (ILP-D). Tennessee also keeps dyslexia plans, called Individual Learning Plans for dyslexia, in TN PULSE. Ask the middle school who will keep your child’s reading support going. Our dyslexia guide explains these plans.

Getting ready for middle school itself

From parents who have been there, not a clinical plan:

• Visit more than once if you can. Walk the route from class to class, find the bathrooms, the cafeteria, and the office.
• Practice the new stuff at home. A combination lock, a printed schedule with room numbers, carrying everything in one bag.
• Find one safe adult. Ask who your child can go to when things go wrong, whether that’s the case manager, a counselor, or a favorite teacher, and introduce them early.
• Make sure every teacher knows the plan. Ask how teachers of every class, including electives and PE, will learn about your child’s accommodations.
• Expect a rough start. A new building, new people, and new routines all at once is a lot. A hard first few weeks doesn’t mean the plan is wrong. It may just mean your child needs time, or the plan needs a quick check-in meeting.

Questions to ask both schools

• Which middle school is my child zoned for, and does it have the class or services the IEP calls for?
• Can someone from the Rutherford County Schools middle school join our spring IEP or 504 meeting?
• Do I need to register my child with Rutherford County Schools, or does that happen on its own?
• When will the middle school have my child’s IEP or 504 plan, and who will be the new case manager?
• Will the middle school adopt the current IEP, or plan to write a new one? When will we meet?
• If my child gets extended school year services, which district provides them the summer before 7th grade?
• How will each of my child’s teachers learn about the accommodations?
• Can my child visit the middle school before the first day?
• When does planning for life after high school start in my child’s IEP?