Parents of students with disabilities may request an IEP team meeting at any point of the school year and for a variety of reasons. Your child's school district is required to respond to the request and this process should be initiated with a written communication. Some of the reasons parents request IEP team meetings are: to address lack of appropriate progress; to modify related services and accommodations; to discuss the findings of new evaluations and medical diagnoses; and, to proactively meet any anticipated needs of the child.
With the school year underway and the excitement from the return to in-person learning beginning to fade, it is a proper time to examine your child's IEP to ensure compliance and progress. Consider this excerpt from the U.S. Department of Education's "Return to School Roadmap":
A child whose behaviorimpedes their learning may need new or increased services and supports for the child to receive FAPE. These increased services and supports may include new or adjusted specially designed instruction, academic supports, positive behavioral interventions, and other supports such as counseling, psychological services, school health services, and social work services.
IEP Teams are encouraged to review the pre-pandemic services required to provide FAPE to the child and determine if the child did or did not receive them during school closure and other disruptions in service. IEP Teams are also encouraged to make general observations about the child's attendance, engagement, attention, behavior, progress, and home experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Daily news reports are full of stories about overworked nurses, teacher and substitute staffing shortages, impacted school transportation, and repeated learning disruptions due to quarantines and school closures. As the represented groups of adults within the education system sound the alarms for someone to help them...Who is advocating for your child's needs and rights?
I am uniquely qualified to help you. We will begin with a review of your child's existing IEP and related documents, we will assess their current plan and determine present levels of performance and progress. Then we will outline next steps for collaboratively working with your child's school to ensure the implementation of their IEP with the specially designed instruction, accommodations, modifications, related services, and other supports that are required to meet their unique needs.
Success in education for your child requires a supportive team of knowledgeable and experienced adults advocating for them with benevolence, compassion, and clarity. Please do not hesitate to contact me today for a complimentary consultation in order to keep your child on the road to success.
