- MAKE ALL REQUESTS TO SCHOOL OFFICIALS IN
WRITING W/A COPY FOR YOURSELF (i.e., sending letters via email allows you to conveniently
notify all involved parties and maintain a copy for your own records; there is
usually a timeline educator’s must adhere to when responding to certain
requests related to special education services and IEP’s; the date your email
was sent starts the clock ticking and serves as proof of school compliance or
violation of legal timeline).
- REQUEST A DRAFT COPY OF YOUR CHILD’S IEP
FOR YOUR UPCOMING MEETING
(i.e., ensure that you receive a copy at least 1-week before your meeting date;
this allows you the ability to review what services the school is proposing in
advance so you can be on equal footing with school meeting participants; you
can determine what you agree and disagree with and suggest changes).
- REQUEST A COPY OF YOUR CHILD’S
PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION REPORT IF APPLICABLE (i.e., this is a comprehensive
evaluation that is required once every 3-years; you should understand the
meaning of your child’s assessment scores, evaluation results and strengths
& weaknesses from reviewing this report; having access to this report in
advance helps you have time to digest the findings).
- MAINTAIN COPIES OF ALL SPECIAL EDUCATION
PROGRESS REPORTS (i.e.,
these reports are usually accompanied by your child’s school report card; this
will help you know whether the services your child is receiving are effective
over time and determine if a different service or intervention should be
implemented).
- MAINTAIN A COPY OF YOUR CHILD’S PREVIOUS
IEP (i.e., use this
document as a reference point to determine your child’s progress made from
his/her IEP goals).
- FIND SOMEONE KNOWLEDGEABLE TO REVIEW AND
EXPLAIN MEETING DOCUMENTS FOR YOUR OWN CLARITY PRIOR TO YOUR UPCOMING MEETING
IF NECESSARY (i.e.,
preferably someone outside of your child’s school such as an Advocate or
Special Education Attorney).
- RESEARCH INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD’S
DISABILITY ON THE INTERNET
(i.e., the internet can help you understand the nature of your child’s
disability, how you and educator’s can help your child and what services and
support should be made available to your child at school).
- MAKE A LIST OF ALL YOUR QUESTIONS AND
CONCERNS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED AT YOUR UPCOMING MEETING (i.e., this list will serve as a useful
reminder of the issues most important to you, as it is easy to become
distracted by other matters brought up by teachers and forget your own agenda).
- ENSURE THE IEP MEETING MINUTES ARE READ
TO YOU AT THE MEETING
(i.e., this allows you the opportunity to confirm that your important requests,
comments and/or concerns are documented and ask staff to remove information
that is not accurate and/or misleading).
- REQUEST TO TAKE HOME DOCUMENTS PRIOR TO
SIGNING CONSENT (i.e.,
don’t be pressured into signing anything you don’t understand just because
school staff may want to wrap up your child’s case at the meeting; it is your
right and very important that you review
and seek guidance if necessary before giving consent to matters concerning your
child).
- NEVER LEAVE THE IEP MEETING WITHOUT COPIES
OF ALL DOCUMENTS (i.e.,
sometimes educators will ask if they can send papers home the next day or week
so they can complete and copy it later in the interest of time; you may risk
not receiving the documents as promised, and/or finding some information in the
documents to be different than what was agreed upon at the meeting/left out
entirely).
- SEEK AND FIND A LOCAL ADVOCATE IN YOUR
AREA WHO CAN ATTEND YOUR CHILD’S IEP MEETING WITH YOU (i.e., an advocate can speak on your
behalf, protect your rights, ensure that your child receives appropriate
services and support, and help you become a fully informed meeting participant
with an equal voice in decisions concerning your child’s education).
- ALERT THE SCHOOL THAT YOU WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADVOCATE (i.e., knowing an advocate will be present at an IEP meeting causes staff to handle your child’s case appropriately and with integrity; educator’s will usually invite upper level school administrators to provide support and expert knowledge regarding your child’s case; administrators monitor the services provided to your child by educators more closely to ensure that policies and procedures are followed).
Remember, at Heart & Soul Advocacy we have your child’s best
interest at HEART & SOUL…
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