Hey, ChatGPT! Can you write team emails for me??
💡A lightbulb moment. A theory tested. A review of the results.
THE FOLLOWING IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE. Consult qualified counsel or an advocate with questions related to special education law.
When you are a caregiver, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the communication component of the special education process.
Documentation is as powerful as it is time-consuming and constant — and HOW you communicate and document matters. Meaning, the specific words you choose and your tone matter as they all become part of your child’s student record.
This is why it is essential to remain collaborative at all times, even in sticky situations. Emotions in your communication will muddy the waters. Just. Don’t. Do. It.
I’ve been seeing ChatGPT used more and more for lots of basic writing. I thought, why not see if it can help caregivers streamline their requests and express concerns to their school teams?
In other words, why not let it lift some of the mental load of the act of writing emails to various team members?
I mean, WHY NOT!?! 💡💡💡
I’m going to skip over the part about what ChatGPT is and get to the good part. The how-to —>
STEP 1:
Create an account at OpenAI
STEP 2:
Open ChatGPT
STEP 3:
Write a prompt
STEP 4:
Watch ChatGPT write its response.
For this exercise, I wantedChatGPT to write a request for a general records file as discussed on Wrightslaw. I picked this because it is a pretty big deal to ask for and it is something I have personally done twice to date.
I know from watching others play with ChatGPT and sharing their results that getting ChatGPT to work for you is all about prompting it effectively. So I decided to play a little with the prompts to illustrate some of what it can and can’t do when it comes to writing emails to school team members.
PROMPT #1:
Write a letter requesting my child's entire school file record. Please cite any relevant education law while writing with a concise, polite, professional, and collaborative tone.
RESPONSE #1:
Dear [School Principal's Name],
I am writing to request a copy of my child's entire school file record. As a concerned parent, I believe that having access to this information is important for my child's educational development and for ensuring that their rights are protected under the law.
Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), as amended, parents have the right to access their child's educational records, including grades, disciplinary records, and other information related to their education. I am aware that this right is subject to certain limitations and requirements, including the need to provide a written request and to verify my identity as the parent.
In order to facilitate this request, I have attached a copy of my government-issued ID to this letter. I would appreciate it if you could provide me with a copy of my child's entire school file record as soon as possible. If there are any fees associated with this request, please let me know so that I can arrange to pay them.
I would like to emphasize that my request is not intended to cause any undue burden or inconvenience for the school. Rather, I believe that by working together in a collaborative manner, we can ensure that my child receives the best possible education and that their rights are respected at all times.
Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Citing FERPA is great as Wrightslaw does that too, but the whole identifying myself as a parent with an attached ID seems odd. Also, the entire letter is a bit lacking on the “concise” front. Can it get to the point quicker if I remove the part about citing the law?
PROMPT #2:
Write a letter requesting my child's entire school file record. Please write with a concise, polite, professional, and collaborative tone.
RESPONSE #2
Dear [School Administrator],
I am writing to request my child's entire school file record for the academic years [start year-end year]. As a parent, I believe it is important to have access to this information to better understand my child's academic progress and to make informed decisions regarding their education.
I kindly ask that you provide me with a complete and accurate copy of my child's file, including academic records, attendance records, disciplinary records, and any other relevant documents. I understand that this may take some time to compile, and I am willing to wait for a reasonable amount of time to receive the requested documents.
I also want to assure you that my request is not made with any negative intent or to cause any inconvenience. Rather, I see this as an opportunity for collaboration and partnership in my child's education. I am committed to working with the school to ensure my child's success and well-being.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to receiving my child's school file record as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
I know from experience that the “reasonable amount of time” part is way too vague. Explicit is better. Massachusetts has a defined timeline for turnaround and it should be cited in parallel to making this request. (Note: I heavily suspect state to state there could be differences as far as turnaround expectations.) Anyway, here’s what happens when I ask it to be Massachusetts specific
PROMPT #3
Write a letter requesting my child's entire school file record citing Massachusetts law for turnaround time. Please write with a concise, polite, professional, and collaborative tone.
RESPONSE #3
Dear [Name of School Administrator],
I am writing to request a copy of my child's entire school file record, in accordance with Massachusetts state law. As a concerned parent, I believe it is essential to have access to this information in order to fully understand my child's academic progress, behavior, and other important aspects of their education.
Under Massachusetts law, I understand that schools are required to provide access to student records within 10 days of receiving a written request. Therefore, I kindly request that you provide me with my child's complete school file record as soon as possible, within the statutory timeframe.
I would appreciate it if you could provide me with a copy of my child's academic record, including any reports, assessments, and evaluations, as well as disciplinary records, attendance reports, and any other relevant documents.
I would also like to assure you that my request is not intended to cause any inconvenience or disruption to the school's operations. Instead, I hope that by working together, we can ensure that my child's educational experience is as positive and successful as possible.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
NOW WE ARE TALKING, er, CHATTING! Especially with the “within 10 days of receiving a written request.” But was I too specific in using the word “turnaround” in the prompt? Would people even know to include that in theirs? What happens if I remove that word?
PROMPT #4
Write a letter requesting my child's entire school file record citing Massachusetts law. Please write with a concise, polite, professional, and collaborative tone.
RESPONSE #4
Dear [School Administrator],
I am writing to request a copy of my child's entire school file record, as provided by Massachusetts law. As a parent, it is important to me to have a complete understanding of my child's educational experience and progress, and I believe that access to this information will help me better support my child's academic and personal growth.
I would like to make this request in a collaborative and respectful manner, and I appreciate any assistance you can provide in obtaining these records. According to Massachusetts law, specifically M.G.L. Chapter 71, Section 34D, parents are entitled to inspect and review their child's school records upon request. I would like to exercise this right and obtain a copy of my child's entire school file record, including any academic, disciplinary, or medical information.
Please let me know the procedures for obtaining these records and any associated fees or timelines. I understand that it may take some time to compile this information, and I am willing to wait for as long as necessary to receive a complete and accurate record.
Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I look forward to working with you to obtain these records in a timely and cooperative manner.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Darn it! I lost the 10 days. That’s not great. But the specific law is cited. I Googled it to make sure it’s correct.
Now, for comparison's sake, here is the content from a real letter for this same request. Identifying information has been redacted. A template was used as a starting point and there were reasons the letter is hyper-specific with some of the materials; the latter may not apply to everyone.
Dear [school principal]:
We are writing to request copies of our child’s entire student record during the time he has been enrolled in the [town] School District, specifically paperwork added between our last request on [date] and the end of school year. This includes, but is not limited to, records regarding regular education, special education as well as all evaluations (including his Wilson Assessment of Decoding and Encoding), test results, including raw data from benchmark testing, reports, assessments, grades, notes, meeting records, correspondence, and test scores through the end of the instructional period.
We also request paperwork associated with [student name]’s work in school. This includes, but is not limited to, raw in-school writing, Wilson Instruction Student Notebook, fluency Read Naturally assessments.
We understand that this information will be made available as soon as practicable but within no later than (10) days of this request.
Thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
[name]
Photo by Shantanu Kumar on Unsplash
CONCLUSION: ChatGPT = PRETTY AWESOME*
*As long as you prompt it correctly, double-check if it sources something, and maybe edit out extra wordiness and/or irrelevant bits.
I plan on testing ChatGPT further, including how well it handles evoking PWN or Prior Written Notice, a powerful advocacy tool. In the meantime here are my main thoughts:
Enormous potential as far as easing the burden of the act of writing, especially knowing that many children with dyslexia have parents with dyslexia.
It can turn a blank page into a killer first email draft within seconds.
It’s NOT emotional. It’s a computer.
Some familiarity with regulation basics (turnaround time, etc.) does help.
Referencing your state is also key as compliance regulations vary from state to state
It’s probably going to get better!!
I’m not an early adapter of most shiny new things, but using ChatGPT for this specific reason is something I could easily see doing.
What do you think?