The Wrightslaw Way

My child has a cochlear implant. His IEP states that the school will provide a sound field system in his primary educational classroom. This year in 6th grade, they move between three classrooms, so we requested two more systems.  The school said they would not do this because of budget.  My question is what is […]

A question from Special Educator Shannon Carter-Murdoch about measuring progress of students with “pull down menu” IEPs. I have two very, very different children, different learning styles, and unique needs.  How can they have the same IEP? I work at a private school. Each year I receive IEPs for new students from various school districts.  […]

Sometimes the best way to approach an IEP team is through the heart. One of our readers, Nan, offered some interesting ideas about how to approach the IEP team to help them better understand your child. Appeal to IEP team members’ better instincts by presenting persuasive evidence. Can you invite the IEP team to your […]

The IEP team, including the parents, agreed that a student would receive homebased instruction for  part of the day for instruction in academic  subjects.  He would attend vocational courses at the school the rest of the day.  The school division superintendent decided to override the IEP team placement. Can he do that? The Individuals with […]

Can the school write in the IEP that the child will receive reading instruction/tutoring by a reading specialist who is not a special ed teacher? Yes. The IDEA and federal special ed regs do not require that the services listed in the IEP must be provided by a special ed teacher. (Vote in the poll […]

My 6 year old grandson has ASD, Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, & Hypermobility Syndrome. He is prone to fractures and in danger of re-fracturing the same bone over & over. He was physically restrained at school and received numerous bruises. The principal said he was restrained for rocking back & forth in a chair. My understanding […]

New Book! Wrightslaw: All About IEPs is at the printer now! Shipping second week of December                        $12.95    Order now Answers more than 200 frequently asked questions & introduces key legal issues Outlines your rights & responsibilities and explains the law in plain language you can understand Provides the reference source of information, the […]

I am a regular ed teacher. It’s been weeks since I started teaching at a new school, and I have no idea who is on an IEP or 504. I don’t even know who the special ed teacher is. I asked for a list of all the students who have IEPs and 504s. I was […]

Did you receive academic test results for your child that were much lower than you expected? In some cases parents say they received no scores for certain subjects or were told their child “either scored so low she could not be graded or she was not given the test.” What can you do? First, focus […]

If a child is wheelchair-bound and needs a catheter, is this something that belongs in the IEP? Exactly whose responsibility is it to handle catheters for wheelchair-bound students? I would think it qualifies as a medical procedure and that a nurse would need to do it? Does the child need these services to attend school? […]