Can a school hold back a student without telling the parents?

My daughter’s middle school in Sayreville is saying she has to repeat a grade, but we were never told she needed summer school for one class. They never notified us, and now they’re acting like it’s final. Does anyone know what the policy is on this? Can they do that?

Wait, they never told you at all? Schools are supposed to keep parents in the loop if a student is at risk of being held back.

Wilder said:
Wait, they never told you at all? Schools are supposed to keep parents in the loop if a student is at risk of being held back.

Nope, we had no idea. If they had said something earlier, we would’ve made sure she went to summer school.

Wilder said:
Wait, they never told you at all? Schools are supposed to keep parents in the loop if a student is at risk of being held back.

That’s definitely not how it’s supposed to work. They usually have to hold meetings with parents before making a final decision.

In NJ, schools are supposed to track a student’s progress and notify parents if retention is even being considered. Did they ever mention anything during the school year?

Ben said:
In NJ, schools are supposed to track a student’s progress and notify parents if retention is even being considered. Did they ever mention anything during the school year?

Not a word. No meetings, no emails, nothing.

Ben said:
In NJ, schools are supposed to track a student’s progress and notify parents if retention is even being considered. Did they ever mention anything during the school year?

Yeah, that sounds like they didn’t follow the process. You should ask the district for their official policy.

This is frustrating to hear. Schools usually document everything, so there should be records of whether they even tried to notify you. Might be worth asking for those.

Zane said:
This is frustrating to hear. Schools usually document everything, so there should be records of whether they even tried to notify you. Might be worth asking for those.

Good idea, I’ll ask. If there’s nothing in writing, then I guess they really messed up.

Zane said:
This is frustrating to hear. Schools usually document everything, so there should be records of whether they even tried to notify you. Might be worth asking for those.

Yeah, if they can’t show proof, I’d definitely push back on their decision.

You should check with the Sayreville School District directly. Schools have to follow certain steps for retention, and if they skipped any, you might be able to challenge it.

Blaise said:
You should check with the Sayreville School District directly. Schools have to follow certain steps for retention, and if they skipped any, you might be able to challenge it.

Yeah, I’ll reach out. Do you know if NJ law says they have to tell parents about summer school?

Blaise said:
You should check with the Sayreville School District directly. Schools have to follow certain steps for retention, and if they skipped any, you might be able to challenge it.

Not sure, but parents are usually supposed to have a say before a retention decision is made.

Schools can’t just decide to hold a kid back without any warning. There’s a process, and if they didn’t follow it, you have a case.

Oli said:
Schools can’t just decide to hold a kid back without any warning. There’s a process, and if they didn’t follow it, you have a case.

That’s what I thought too. I’m trying to figure out what I can do about it now.

Oli said:
Schools can’t just decide to hold a kid back without any warning. There’s a process, and if they didn’t follow it, you have a case.

You can probably appeal it. Most schools have a process for that.