Our elementary school put a lot of thought into DS's teachers, and it was always part of the IEP meeting -- although I didn't really have much say in it. They knew what they were looking for, and they knew their teachers, and it turned out fine. I had only one request, and that was already decided three years ahead of time -- the fifth grade teacher that he went to math class with, starting in second grade. They got along so fabulously that it was just a given that he would be in his class in fifth grade.
I requested DD get the same teacher that DS had in first grade, and she did -- whether they took it into account or not is a mystery. Unfortunately, I said "I'll never ask for anything else" and now I'm regretting that because her teacher this year is not a good match and may be moving up to third along with her next year. We'll see if they let me go back on it.
Officially, they do not take requests. DS was a special case, with his IEP and ALP and stuff.
Personally, I don't see why they have this policy -- it would make more sense, to me, to let parents make requests and match as many as possible, then fill the classes with those who didn't have a preference. But what do I know.
