March 13, 2007

ISSN: 1538-3202

Issue: 381
Subscribers: 45,576

Law Library
Advocacy
IDEA 2004

Section 504
Yellow Pages for Kids
No Child Left Behind

Pete and Pam Wright
Wrightslaw & The Special Ed Advocate
P. O. Box 1008
Deltaville, VA 23043

Copyright © 2007, Peter W. D. Wright and Pamela Darr Wright. All rights reserved. Please do NOT reprint or host on your website without explicit permission.

At Wrightslaw, our mission is to help you gain the knowledge and skills you need to navigate the confusing, changing world of special education.

The Special Ed Advocate is the only weekly e-zine with up-to-date, accurate information about special education law and advocacy, cases, tactics and strategies. Published continuously since April 1998, subscribers receive alerts about new decisions, events, and special offers on Wrightslaw publications and products. Sign up free today!

When parents are presented with a "draft IEP," many assume that the school members of the IEP team do not value their concerns and input about their child.

IDEA 2004 discourages the use of "draft IEPs" because they send a message that parental concerns and parental participation are not valued.

In Can the IEP Team Prepare a Draft IEP?, Pat Howey describes the pros and cons of draft IEPs. She uses text from the Commentary to the IDEA 2004 regulations to support her position that the school must provide the parents with the draft IEP well in advance of the IEP meeting.

Parents and school personnel need to share important information before IEP meetings. Sharing information leads to healthier working relationships between parents and school personnel -- and better IEPs for the children.

Learn more about IEPs and how you can use the Commentary in Can the IEP Team Prepare a Draft IEP?

back to the top

back to the top

IDEA 2004: What You Need to Know About Functional Goals in IEPs

The IDEA 2004 statute and regulations include specific requirements about using present levels of functional performance to develop functional goals in the IEPs for all children with disabilities. Pat Howey teaches you how to find answers to your questions in references that are available on Wrightslaw.

IDEA 2004: What You Need to Know About IEPs for Children with Behavior Problems

IDEA 2004 and the special education regulations include specific requirements for IEPs of children whose behavior impedes their learning or the learning of other children, including training teachers to use positive behavioral interventions and strategies.

IDEA 2004: IEPs, Highly Qualified Teachers & Research Based Instruction

Learn about new language in IDEA 2004 that is designed to ensure that children with disabilities are taught by highly qualified teachers and receive research based instruction. This article includes new requirements for personnel training, IEPs, and scientifically based instruction.

IDEA 2004: What You Need to Know About IEP Team Members & IEP Team Attendance

Learn about IEP team members and IEP team attendance, when team members may be excused from a meeting, and what parents and the school district must do before a team member may be excused.

back to the top

According to parent attorney Mike O'Connor, "It's likely that 15-30 percent of families with a disabled child have one or more unclaimed tax benefits."

Did you know that "Special instruction or training or therapy, such as sign language instruction, speech therapy, and remedial reading instruction" may be deductible? Did you know that related books and materials can qualify for the medical expense deduction"?

In 2006 Tax Benefits for Parents of Children with Disabilities, Mr. O'Connor provides a summary of the most significant federal income tax benefits. He advises you to print this guide and provide your tax adviser with a copy. We agree with this excellent advice!

Download your copy of 2006 Tax Benefits for Parents of Children with
Disabilities by Mike O'Connor, Esq.

back to the top

Will the Court issue a favorable decision for the parents or the school? Will the decision be split or unanimous? You cast your vote about the outcome of this case. Here are the results of the Winkelman Parma poll:

(Click to enlarge)

Read the transcript of Oral Argument in Winkelman v. Parma.

back to the top

Great Products From Wrightslaw