How do I take action against school district re: 17 yr. old just diagnosed with ADD

I am a first grade teacher in the southwest. In past years teachers could talk to parents about possible ADD or ADHD. For the past few years we have not been allowed to mention this possibility to a parent. We even had to sign a document to this effect. I've been teaching over 20 years and am pretty good at noticing problems that could be addressed. It is very unfortunate for these children that I cannot use my experience to help. Often the parents have no idea that their child is actually bright but unable to focus.

If your other children are struggling in school, I would have them evaluated, but otherwise, I would not do so. While a psychologist can do evaluations to help identify LDs (very often ADHD-inattentive is accompanied by difficulties in math) I'm not sure how much it will matter at this stage. IF your son was still in grades K-12, the schools could provide remediation, but since he'll be in college, all he will be eligible for are accommodations. Accommodations for many LDs are the same as with ADHD. Nevertheless, it might help your son know what his learning style/strengths/weaknesses are.
My son has an IQ that puts him in the gifted range, but between his ADHD and dyslexia, he appear very mediocre to most teachers. I'm sure your son is bright, too, and he's capable of learning, he just "learns differently." All the best to your family.

Letters at the elementary level sounds good, I like your reasoning. Our Dr. said because he isn't/wasn't a hyper child the teachers probably didn't see all the classic signs, but they should have he said. Our class size is 20 kids tops, up to 5th grade. We live in a very small town. Starting about 5th grade his grades started slipping. Before that he had very strict classes that were so quiet you could hear a pin drop. ( I volunteered in his class at least twice a week until he went to middle school) Doc says my son works well in a quiet environment and that could be another reason no red flags went up.
He is planning to attend a community college and we already went through the process and got his 504 evaluation completed. We have the certification for college that states his needs.
FYI - I was told the psychologist will help diagnose him if he has any learning disabilities.
You are so right about him knowing he's not stupid now that he just learns differently. That has been such a weight lifted from all of us.
Do you suggest I get my other children tested or is the probability that they have LD or ADD or ADHD very slight.

I'm in IL, but if you join www.millermom.proboards107.com you'll actually find several other CA parents.

I guess what I'm thinking is that your letters might be better directed to the elementary school district that your son attended, because it seems almost criminal for them not to have sensed he had a problem early on. Those teachers generally have smaller class sizes, and should be more aware of an individual student's needs and struggles. Even if they can't diagnose a medical condition like ADHD, they could have suggested that you talk to a professional to find out why he was having difficulties. By the time most students reach high school, the teachers see hundreds of kids per day, and barely learn their names, much less have time to figure out if they have motivational issues or something else going on.

The main thing is that your son now knows he's not stupid, he just learns in a different way. As I mentioned earlier, most community colleges have very good accommodations/support programs available for kids with ADHD/LDs, and if your son is thinking about doing that, you might call and ask what documentation they'll require...perhaps the psychologist can help you there....