When your child starts a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) or Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), there is a lot for you to manage at once. There is the adjustment of the program itself. Adjusting also means managing your child’s response to it, as well as your own.
Having a conversation with your child’s school is another factor to take care of. Most parents dread this. They consider: What do you say? What do you have to say? What are you not obligated to share?
And, they wonder: How do you advocate for your child without creating a situation that follows them for longer than is necessary? How do you coordinate the school’s support with the clinical work, so that the two reinforce, rather than undermine each other?
We have prepared this guide to cover all of these questions, and support you at this step of your family’s journey.
What you are legally entitled to in Illinois
Illinois law (and federal law under IDEA and Section 504) provides specific protections for students whose mental health conditions affect their ability to access education. Understanding what you are entitled to makes the school conversation significantly easier.
Section 504 accommodations
If your child has a mental health condition that substantially limits a major life activity (including learning, concentrating, and communicating), they may be entitled to a Section 504 plan. A 504 plan documents the accommodations the school will provide to ensure your child has equal access to education.
Common accommodations for children in, or returning from, intensive mental health treatment include:
- Extended time on tests and assignments
- Flexible attendance policies during and immediately after treatment
- A designated quiet space or check-in adult during the school day
- Modified homework load during the treatment period
- A gradual re-entry schedule when returning to school after a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
- Permission to leave class without explanation when anxiety is escalating
An Individualized Education Program (IEP)
If your child’s mental health condition is significantly affecting their academic performance and they require specialized instruction (not just accommodations), they may qualify for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) under IDEA. An IEP goes further than a 504 plan by defining specific educational goals and the support the school will provide to meet them.
Medical leave and attendance
In Illinois, students who miss school for documented medical reasons have protections around attendance. These include those who miss full-days for Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) or daytime Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP).
Discuss the specifics of what this will look like with your school’s counselor or social worker early in the process. It is generally optimal to do this before absence accumulates
What you do and do not have to share
This is the question that parents most commonly ask. You do not have to share your child’s diagnosis.
You are entitled to say: ‘My child is currently receiving intensive mental health treatment and will need the following accommodations.’ You do not have to name the condition, describe the program in detail, or share any clinical information that you would prefer not to share.
What the school needs in order to support your child is acknowledgement of the fact that treatment is happening, the approximate timeline, and the specific accommodations or schedule adjustments that are needed. Once again, sharing a diagnosis is not required.
If you choose to share more, that is entirely your decision. Some parents find that an open conversation with a trusted school counselor can create specific layers of support for their child. Others prefer to keep the clinical details private. Both are equally valid.
How to have the conversation with the school
The most effective approach, in our experience, is to request an in person meeting to have this conversation. It should take place with the school counselor and, if appropriate, the child’s primary teacher or administrator.
We advise on meeting face-to-face (rather than over a phone call or email), as it gives you the opportunity to share the information and ask for what you need in a structured way.
Before the meeting
- Have a clear, brief description of what your child needs ready. You can state it directly and do not need to justify it at length.
- If Plena's team has provided any documentation (e.g. a letter confirming treatment, or a list of recommended accommodations) bring it with you.
- Know what you are asking for specifically (e.g. attendance flexibility, homework adjustments, a 504 meeting, a point of contact for check-ins).
During the meeting
- Lead with what your child needs, not the backstory. The backstory is yours to share if you choose, but the accommodation request does not depend on it.
- If the school is resistant to providing accommodations, reference Section 504 directly. You are entitled to request a 504 evaluation, and the school is legally required to respond to that request.
- Ask who your point of contact will be during the treatment period and re-entry phase.
- Ask what the process looks like for the return to school (e.g. gradual re-entry, reduced schedule, check-in system).
At Plena, we are here to provide families with a description (not a prescription) that can help with the school conversation and planning. With your consent, what we can share is a clinical summary of how your child functioned in the program. This includes notes on what they responded well to, where they made progress, and what is likely to be hard for them in a school day given their diagnosis and current functional level.
We can also provide a letter confirming dates and level of treatment when a school needs it for attendance or planning purposes.
Please note that we do not write accommodation recommendations. Deciding what support a child receives is the job of the school team and the family, working from evaluation data and the child’s day-to-day functioning. What we can offer is an accurate clinical picture of that functioning, which is usually the piece a school team is missing.
Coordinating with the school about the clinical work at Plena
The most effective mental health treatment for children does not stop at the clinic’s door. What happens at school and what the school does in response to the child’s needs is part of the treatment environment.
With the family’s consent, we at Plena come in contact with the school during a minimum of two key points: near the start of treatment (so we understand what the school is seeing, and what has already been tried), and again as treatment comes to a close (so that re-entry is thoughtfully planned).
What takes place between those two points depends on the child. A student whose main difficulty is anxiety about school itself needs a different plan than a student who is attending without distress. Anxiety-driven cases usually call for graduated exposure days and steady contact between our team and school staff, so that a return is built in small steps and everyone knows what the next step is.
We also ask the school what works for them. Some teams prefer contact at entry and exit only. Others want weekly updates. Both are workable, and we set the schedule with the school rather than around it. Like everything else in the program, the plan is written for the individual child. These communications are always undertaken only with your consent.
When your child returns to school
Re-entry after a period of intensive treatment can be challenging in its own right. Children often feel anxious about what peers have been told, what they have missed academically, and whether they will be treated differently.
- A gradual re-entry plan determines whether a child is returning for partial days or specific subjects, before taking on a full schedule. This method is almost always preferable to a sudden return.
- A designated check-in adult at school (a counselor, a trusted teacher, or a social worker) who your child can access without prior arrangement is one of the most effective supports during re-entry.
- Planned and paced academic catch-up means that meeting academic goals isn’t left to the child to manage alone. Specific, achievable targets are better than an undefined expectation to 'get back to where you were'.
For school counselors reading this
If you have arrived at this article as a school counselor or administrator, rather than a parent, thank you for looking.
Plena Mind works with schools across the North Shore to support the families of children in our programs. We are available to speak with school counselors about a specific student (with family consent), to participate in re-entry planning meetings, and to provide documentation to support accommodation requests.
For a student who is already in our program, the main point of contact is the child’s primary clinician. This is deliberate and means that the person who is in touch with the school is the same person who sees the child every day in treatment. This helps keep information current and avoids a game of telephone through an administrative middle layer. Once a family enrolls, the clinician’s contact information goes to the school team.
A final note
Though the school conversation can be a difficult step, having it is necessary for care. Your child’s school is one of the most important environments in their daily life.
The research on outcomes for children whose schools are functionally integrated into their treatment (where the clinical work and the school environment are reinforcing the same goals) demonstrates that children do better when the key adults in their lives are working in unison.
If your family feels that your child may be ready for an intake conversation, if you have questions on what that entails, or would like to chat through what the school situation looks like further, please reach out to our team.
