Parent Communication Log — Why It Matters
Source email: "Sped Info" — Shannon Flaherty, 2025-01-09 One-line rule: Log every parent contact in SP, with details, or you may be blocked from proceeding when a parent doesn't show.
The rule
"Please make sure to log all parent outreach regarding meetings, with details about the nature and content of the communication, in SP. We have had 2 parents who did not attend meetings this week, despite having confirmed they would. While we do not like to proceed with a meeting, there are instances due to deadlines in which we must. If sufficient outreach was not made and logged, we cannot do that."
What "sufficient outreach" means (DCPS due-diligence standard)
The standard threshold (per the 2021 ESY communication chain): 3 attempts over 3 days via 2 modes. That is, three contact attempts, spread across at least three different days, using at least two different communication modes (text + phone, phone + email, etc.).
What to log every time
| Field | What to capture |
|---|---|
| Date | When you reached out |
| Mode | Text / phone / email / in-person / Class Dojo |
| Nature | What was the purpose of the contact (meeting confirmation, signature request, ESY decision, etc.) |
| Content | What was said / sent (brief summary — not full transcript) |
| Outcome | Did the parent respond? Confirm? Decline? No answer? |
Why this is load-bearing
When a parent doesn't attend a meeting and you have a hard legal deadline (annual review window closing, eligibility window closing, etc.), the only way to proceed without the parent is to demonstrate documented good-faith outreach. Without that log, you're blocked — and the meeting either gets rescheduled past the deadline (causing IMPACT timeline violation) or doesn't happen.
Where to log
SP = Special Programs / SPSM contact log. The same place PWN-related communications go.
Connection to other procedures
- esy-pwn-decline.md — the ESY-decline PWN cites the date and mode of the conversation where the family declined. That citation must come from this log.
- reeval-eligibility-flow.md — Parent Acknowledgement and Parent Consent steps both depend on documented outreach.