Connecticut's 45-School-Day Evaluation Timeline: What Parents Need to Know

Your child's teacher has been flagging concerns for months. You've had informal conversations, attended parent-teacher conferences, and waited while the school "monitored" the situation. Now you're wondering whether your child should have been evaluated for special education eligibility a long time ago — and whether the district is even required to move on a timeline at all.

The answer is yes, and the timeline is specific. Connecticut law sets a hard deadline of 45 school days from the date the district receives a written referral. Understanding exactly how this works — and what happens when schools miss it — is one of the most important pieces of knowledge a Connecticut parent can have.

The Written Referral Starts the Clock

Connecticut's evaluation timeline is governed by RCSA §10-76d-13, and it begins with a written referral. This is the document that formally requests that the district evaluate your child for special education eligibility.

Who can make a written referral?

• A parent or guardian
• A teacher or other school staff member
• The district itself

Many parents don't realize they can initiate this process themselves. You don't need to wait for a teacher to suggest it. If you believe your child may have a disability affecting their education, you can send a written referral directly to the principal or special education director.

The key word is "written." A verbal conversation at a school meeting, a phone call to a teacher, or even a note in a homework folder does not start the clock. The 45-school-day timeline begins only when the district receives a written referral — so always document your request in writing and keep a copy.

What Counts as "School Days"

The 45-day timeline is measured in school days, not calendar days. This matters because school vacations, weekends, and holidays do not count. A referral submitted in early October, for example, might not reach its deadline until well into the spring semester.

This also means the timing of your referral affects how quickly you get answers. A referral submitted just before winter break will pause during the entire recess period. If getting answers quickly is a priority, consider the school calendar when you send your request.

What Must Happen Within Those 45 Days

The 45-school-day window covers several steps, not just the testing itself. From the date of the written referral, the district must:

1. Obtain written consent from the parent to conduct the evaluation (using form ED625)
2. Complete the full evaluation — including assessments, observations, and review of records
3. Prepare an evaluation report
4. Hold a PPT (Planning and Placement Team) meeting to review the results
5. If the child is found eligible, develop an IEP and implement it

The IEP must be implemented within the 45-school-day window. This means services actually begin, not just that a meeting was scheduled or that paperwork was signed.

The Consent Clock

One nuance that sometimes confuses parents: the clock pauses if the district has not yet received your signed consent for evaluation. If the district sends you consent paperwork (form ED625) and you take several weeks to return it, those days are generally not counted against the school.

This cuts both ways. If the district is slow to send you the consent form after receiving your written referral, that delay is on them. Document when you received any paperwork and when you returned it.

When Schools Miss the Deadline

If the district does not complete the evaluation and hold a PPT within 45 school days of the written referral — and the delay was not caused by the parent — this is a procedural violation of Connecticut special education law (C.G.S. §10-76a through §10-76q).

Your options include:

Filing a complaint with the CSDE. The Connecticut State Department of Education investigates procedural violations. A missed timeline is exactly the kind of documented, date-specific violation that complaints can address. The CSDE has its own timeline requirements for responding to and resolving complaints.

Requesting compensatory services. If the evaluation delay meant your child went without needed services for weeks or months, you may be entitled to compensatory education — additional services provided to make up for the time lost due to the procedural failure. See the post on Connecticut compensatory education for how to pursue this.

Raising it at the PPT. Even after the fact, the delayed timeline is part of your child's record. Noting it formally at the PPT meeting creates documentation that this issue occurred.

SRBI Cannot Be Used to Delay Evaluation

One of the most common ways Connecticut districts slow down the evaluation process is by routing children into SRBI (Scientific Research-Based Interventions) programs first. SRBI is Connecticut's version of the Response to Intervention framework — a tiered support system meant to identify whether a student's difficulties respond to targeted instruction.

SRBI is a legitimate educational tool. But it is not a substitute for a special education evaluation, and districts cannot legally require a child to go through SRBI tiers before they will conduct an evaluation in response to a written referral.

If you have submitted a written referral and the district tells you they want to complete SRBI first, that is not a valid reason to delay the evaluation. The 45-school-day clock is running from the date of your written referral regardless of what intervention programs the child is enrolled in.

For more detail on how SRBI works and what to do when it's being used as a stalling tactic, see the companion post on SRBI and special education evaluation delays in Connecticut.

Making Your Referral Airtight

To make sure your written referral starts the clock and cannot be questioned later:

• Submit it in writing — email is fine and creates a timestamp
• Address it to both the school principal and the district's director of special education
• Include the date and your child's name and grade
• State clearly that you are requesting a comprehensive evaluation for special education eligibility
• Request confirmation that the referral was received
• Keep a copy of the referral and any response

If you hand-deliver a written referral, bring two copies and ask for a date stamp or signature on one for your records. If you email it, save the sent email and any reply.

What Happens After the Evaluation

Once the 45-school-day window closes with a completed evaluation and PPT meeting, the outcome will be one of two things: the district finds your child eligible for special education services, or it does not.

If your child is found eligible, an IEP must be developed and implemented within that same 45-school-day window. Services should begin promptly — not weeks later when a provider's schedule opens up.

If you disagree with the evaluation results, Connecticut law gives you the right to request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense. The district must either fund the IEE or file for due process to defend its own evaluation. For more on this right, see the post on Connecticut independent educational evaluations.

The 45-school-day timeline exists because children cannot wait indefinitely for services they may need. Knowing this timeline — and insisting that districts honor it — is one of the most concrete tools available to Connecticut parents who are trying to get their child evaluated.

If you want a step-by-step guide to the entire PPT and IEP process — including scripts, letters, and checklists built around Connecticut law — get the complete Connecticut IEP & 504 Advocacy Playbook.

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