The school has to find your child — before you even ask

Many parents assume the clock only starts when they request help. But under the U.S. special-education law IDEA, schools carry a legal duty called Child Find: they must actively identify, locate, and evaluate any child who may have a disability and need services — whether or not a parent asks first.

This duty is surprisingly broad. It covers kids who are struggling but still passing, children who are homeschooled or in private school, those who are homeless or move often, and even children who haven't yet started kindergarten. A school can't simply wait and see, or insist a child fail for a year before acting. If staff suspect a disability, the obligation to evaluate is triggered.

Why this matters for you: Child Find gives you a powerful backstop, but it also works best when you speak up. If you're worried, you can put a written evaluation request in the school's hands — dating it starts important timelines. You don't have to have a diagnosis, and you don't have to prove anything; a reasonable suspicion of need is enough to ask for an evaluation.

Think of it as a shared responsibility: the law expects the school to look, and your observations at home are some of the most valuable evidence they can use.