No. Related services must begin “as soon as possible.”^[1] If OT/PT services are specified in your child’s IEP and CCS refuses to provide the services, federal law requires that the district provide the services.^[2] Disagreement between CCS and the district regarding responsibility for initiating services can be resolved through interagency dispute procedures.^[3] In addition, CCS may not deny services based on the acuteness (severity or intensity) of the student’s disability. A student whose IEP specifies that they are to receive OT/PT services is entitled to receive those services without delay.^[4]

1. 34 C.F.R. Sec. 300.323(c)(2); Cal. Ed. Code Sec. 56344(b).[↩]
2. 20 U.S.C. Secs. 1412(a)(12)(A) & (B).[↩]
3. Cal. Gov. Code Sec. 7585.[↩]
4. 34 C.F.R. Sec. 300.323.[↩]