When to enroll in school

[milehighmama]

We are moving and our son will be starting at a new school a month after his adoption is finalized.  Part of me wants to fill out the paperwork now to get him enrolled but then we need to submit additional paperwork to address the name change.  I want to start now to make sure we get him in the right school and program based on his IEP needs.  I worry that if we wait until a few weeks before school starts there will be problems.   What would you do in this situation?

[spooko]

Get everything you can set up now and then just change the name at the end. I would let them know that's coming up, though.

[gnomesweetgnome]

I agree with spooko. Does he already go by his "new" name? If so, make sure the school is aware of that beforehand. Getting his name changed on the school record should be easy once you have the adoption decree in hand.

[milehighmama]

Jul 7, 2015 15:23:41 GMT -5 gnomesweetgnome said:

I agree with spooko. Does he already go by his "new" name? If so, make sure the school is aware of that beforehand. Getting his name changed on the school record should be easy once you have the adoption decree in hand.

Only his last name is changing.  He is not going by his new last name at the moment but he knows what it will be.  He can't go by that until his name is legally changed. 

[redandblue]

I'm not sure how it all works there, but I know in Ontario we can put on the registration information the legal name, and then preferred name. Maybe chat with the school to let them know what is happening, and hopefully they can be understanding and accommodating for the short period of time.

[milehighmama]

I sent in the paperwork and will call the school to follow up. We won't get the updated birth certificate for 6-8 weeks after finalization which is after school starts. I really hope they will let him start with his new name. The adoption decree will have it so hopefully that works.

[theatrepal]

It wouldn't hurt to swing by the school or send an email to his teachers just to make sure everyone is on the same page. The information could end up not leaving the front office by accident.

[milehighmama]

Jul 15, 2015 11:58:56 GMT -5 theatrepal said:

It wouldn't hurt to swing by the school or send an email to his teachers just to make sure everyone is on the same page. The information could end up not leaving the front office by accident.

As soon as we know what school he is enrolled in I plan on doing that.  

[Captain Serious]

Jul 7, 2015 13:37:00 GMT -5 spooko said:

Get everything you can set up now and then just change the name at the end. I would let them know that's coming up, though.

I agree with this. The IEP process is just that, and as a new kid to the school/district, you will be pressed to get a good plan in place before school starts even if you and the school are very motivated and start right now. I wouldn't waste any time because of a future name change.

Good luck with the school and IEP process! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

[irismorning]

I had to do a name change after my DS1 was already in school. I just spoke with the school: principal, school psychologist, and his teacher ahead of time. They had to use his legal name for all official forms, but he went by his new name in the classroom. The change was simple, I just brought a copy of his new birth certificate and it was changed in a few days.