Robyn's Nest - The Parenting Network - Parent's Guide Part 2 IEP

A Parent's Guide Part II

How a child becomes eligible for special education and related services

What are the Parents' Responsibilities?

The special education team includes education specialists, therapists, medical personnel, the parent(s) or person(s) who have custody of the child, and the child when appropriate. As a full member of this team, the parent has responsibilities. These may not be as clearly defined as your rights, but they are just as important. Your most basic responsibility is to be an active team member, to establish effective communication between home and school, and to share information about your child's education and development with other members of the team.

Your specific responsibilities include:

1. After finding that your child is eligible for special education and after an IEP has been written, but before placement is determined, plan a visit. It will help you become familiar with the programs under consideration. Talking to other parents is very useful, but seeing programs for yourself is also important.

2. Before going to visit a school to look at a program, call ahead and ask the principal to schedule a time for you to visit. This is not only polite, but will assure that your visit comes during a regularly scheduled activity. If you also want to talk to the teacher, let the people arranging the observation time know, so that they can schedule a meeting.

3. Once your child is settled in his or her school class, find time to visit at least once or twice a year to see how your child is doing. Often volunteering to help with school or classroom activities is an effective way to get involved. Teachers appreciate the help, and it gives you the opportunity to see your child in a school situation.

4. Notify your child's school, teacher, therapist(s), or nurse of any changes which would affect your child's participation in school. Examples include: changes in your child's medical condition or medication; extreme difficulty with homework; boredom with school work; social difficulties; or any other related difficulties the school personnel should be aware of.

5. Provide the school staff with any relevant information from outside evaluations. Have copies of these reports sent to your child's school.

6. If problems arise, you should communicate your concerns about your child's special education program to the school. Talk to the principal, teachers, therapist(s) etc. to allow everyone involved in your child's schooling to informally observe the situation and make adjustments before minor problems become major difficulties.

7. Let school staff know when you observe signs that your child's current program may need to be changed. The more time the school has to arrange for re-evaluations, the better.

8. If your child needs special arrangements for testing, such as assistive technology, an interpreter, or foreign language tester, let the school know right away. Even if your child's teacher knows about his or her unique needs, the evaluation staff may not be aware of them and will need time to make the proper arrangements.

9. If you would like to review and/or obtain copies of your child's records, make this request, in writing, several weeks before you need to have these records. School secretarial staff may be quite busy, especially at certain times of the year. Also, records from previous years may be kept somewhere other than in the school building, making access more complicated than just opening a file drawer.

10. It is very important that you attend IEP meetings. These meetings generally occur only once a year and are usually held during the day. If you have a job, talk to your employer or make any necessary child care arrangements so that you will be able to attend during the work day. If you have difficulties getting away during these hours, inform your child's teacher and ask if the school can be of assistance. Sometimes the school can work out child care needs or talk to an employer to help you find the time to attend the IEP meeting.

11. Any time you have scheduling difficulties with school meetings, tell the school people involved in that meeting. They will want to know that you are interested in your child's schooling and that you want to be actively involved. There are always situations in which people cannot coordinate their schedules; the more information the school has about your schedule, the more they can work to arrange meetings and school functions at more convenient times for you. All too often, educators interpret poor attendance as lack of interest.

12. If you are in disagreement with the school on any aspect of your child's program, try to work out the disagreement before resorting to a due process hearing. Many schools now have formalized methods for mediation or can make such arrangements.

Mediation can often bring solutions to light and is less negative than more formal or legal action. In any discussion of rights and responsibilities, it is important to remember the spirit of the law.

The goal should always be the same: to provide the best opportunities for success for all children, including those who have differing needs and abilities.

To achieve this goal it is important that all people involved in special education planning work together. It's even part of the law. As team members you will each need to communicate your opinions and concerns constructively.

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