Noko: My school SpecEd Dept refuses to detail the nature of Special Services being provided to help my child reach goals, saying they are prohibited from doing so — for example, describing a service only as “study skills consult”, when in reality, it is a 10 minute end-of-day meeting to teach homework planning, use of assignment calendar, and assure all assignments are correctly detailed, etc… I am concerned that if the Service here is not detailed, a new teacher, substitute, new SpecEd case-manager, etc… would have no idea what is to be performed… Is there any legal authority I can show them? Their position seems illogical, and would make it virtually impossible for the parents to enforce the non-provision of this service, as their description is so vague… Thanks!
Noko, Do you have a copy of your child’s IEP? If you don’t, write a note to the Special Ed dept and request a copy NOW. Or go to the school and request a copy.
As a parent, YOU need to know what the law requires in your child’s IEP. If you know what the law requires or where to find this info, you will be in a better position to advocate for your child.
The special education law includes a list of the specific information that must be in your child’s IEP. If you have a copy of our Special Education Law book, the law about these requirements is on pages 99-101. The regulations are on pages 245-246. The law and regs are also on the Wrightslaw site. https://www.wrightslaw.com/idea/index.htm
You also need to contact your state Parent Training Information center for help. http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center
To be your child’s advocate, you need to spend some time learning this stuff. Please don’t let this go.
Parents are to be informed members of the IEP team. This appears to not be happening. If the special ed director does not respond to a written notice of your concerns, you can use the state dispute resolution process. Your state parent training & information center can assist you. http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center