IEP meeting: Okay to not agree in Missouri IEP meeting

IEP meetings can be frustrating; for both parents and teachers.  However, the information acquired from school staff can be quite helpful to the parent. Parents can ask about the specifics of a child’s schedule and staffing.  Parents can ask about the social dynamics of classes their child participates in.

One of the most important questions to ask is who has expertise in the child’s specific disability?  Does the district have such expert on staff?  Availability of that staff to work with my child?  Schools that have “programs” based on disability sometimes need to be reminded that the IEP meeting is not about a “program”, but rather about “individualizing” a child’s plan.  If you don’t agree with what is being offered, a parent can say so…and ask for more options.

Advocates at The IEP Center™ help parents solve IEP problems by providing information so they can advocate for the child with special needs.  Don’t be bamboozled!  Waiting and hoping for problems to go away allows our children to regress.  Hoping the problem will go away will only delay getting the problem addressed.  If you’ve had an IEP meeting and issues weren’t resolved, you need an advocate on your side!

Never go alone to an IEP meeting; our advocates are available!

sign up for ezine:  bit.ly/IEPezine

facebook

Contact an advocate below:

Name(required)

Email(required)

age of child/disability

struggles at the school(required)

Upcoming meeting at the school in five days?

If child not attending school; why?

Parent phone numbers

Best time for advocate to call you

Optional: phone number of parent

Submit

Δ

Special Education Parent’s Advocacy Link LLC dba The IEP Center™ provides information to parents regarding the problems of children with disabilities.  We are civil rights advocates for parents of children with disabilities.  We are not attorneys and do not give advice.  Consult an attorney.  We do not have a license to practice law.

We help parents at low-cost.  We help parents prepare for school meetings and also go to mediation and IEP meetings with parents.

©2015 Special Education Parent’s Advocacy Link LLC dba The IEP Center™

Advertisement

Missouri IEP meeting: student need not attend

Parents do not have to have the IEP student present in IEP meetings unless the student is age 18.  However students are expected to participate at age 16 to prepare for transition to adulthood.

Carefully ponder if the student needs to be in the meeting.  This can be a disheartening experience for a student who struggles in school, and who has not been understood by school staff. Sometimes such student will inadvertently undermine the efforts of the parent in the IEP meeting. Some parents are lead to believe that it is mandatory.

Advocates at the iep center help parents solve IEP problems by providing information so they can advocate for the child with special needs.  Don’t be bamboozled!  Waiting and hoping for problems to go away allows our children to regress.  Hoping the problem will go away will only delay getting the problem addressed.  Don’t be misled.

sign up for ezine:  bit.ly/IEPezine

facebook

Special Education Parent’s Advocacy Link LLC dba The IEP Center provides information to parents regarding the problems of children with disabilities.  We are not attorneys and do not give advice.  Consult an attorney.

We help parents at low-cost.  We help parents prepare for school meetings and also go to mediation and IEP meetings with parents.

Copyright 2015 ©Special Education Parents Advocacy Link LLC

If you’d like an advocate to contact you:

Name(required)

Email(required)

age of child & disability(required)

describe struggles with school(required)

is your child not attending or been suspended?

parent phone numbers

best time for advocate to call you

Beware of homebound offer for an IEP student

Some students who are eligible for special education services and have IEPs have behaviors that may be considered by some as violent.  These students are often a challenge for a school district to provide the appropriate program.

A parent may be told the student is so violent that the school district cannot educate the student and homebound is mentioned.  Left out of this conversation could be that the school needs to find a program that is appropriate for this child and place and transport the child there.  Many outside programs exist for students with extreme needs.

Such “Outside placement” can be costly for the school district.  Perhaps that’s why it isn’t mentioned to parents?

More school districts continue to mention homebound as a way to force the parent to “take it or leave it” when the district wants the student to fit into their system and not provide accommodations/modifications.  Uninformed parents get trampled; some lose jobs and marriages over this scenario.  After all, homebound is often provided at public libraries for only a few hours each week–nothing compared to a full school week.

Advocates at The IEP Center ™ help parents solve IEP problems by providing information so they can advocate for the child with special needs.  Don’t be bamboozled!  Waiting and hoping for problems to go away allows our children to regress.  Hoping the problem will go away will only delay getting the problem addressed.

sign up for ezine:  bit.ly/IEPezine

facebook

Special Education Parent’s Advocacy Link LLC dba The IEP Center™ provides information to parents regarding the problems of children with disabilities.  We are not attorneys and do not give advice.  Consult an attorney.

We help parents at low-cost.  We help parents prepare for school meetings and also go to mediation and IEP meetings with parents.

Contact an advocate below:

Name(required)

Email(required)

age of child/disability

struggles at the school(required)

Upcoming meeting at the school in five days?

If child not attending school, why?

Parent phone numbers

Best time for advocate to call you

Submit

Δ

©2014 Special Education Parent’s Advocacy Link LLC dba The IEP Center™

Prepare for IEP meeting in Missouri

Parents need not go into the “annual” IEP meeting unprepared.  Parents are allowed to view a students records prior to any upcoming IEP meeting. Now that it is almost spring, time is running short to accomplish this before the end of the school year.  Using e-mail or a written note, request to review your child’s records. Seeing the paperwork the district has about your child can be quite revealing.  Things may be happening to your child that you are not aware.

When you arrive to review your child’s records, be sure to ask to see all records so that you get a complete picture.  There may be nurse, counselor, discipline (Principal & staff) notes, academic (achievement), behavior data collection, therapist notes, etc.   Often these records are not presented to a parent unless the parent knows specifically to ask for them.

Knowing how your child performed during the year by reviewing  the information collected on your child will help a parent to know what to request in the IEP meeting.

Don’t be bamboozled!   Parents who are serious about their child’s schooling and tired of being bamboozled use advocates at The IEP Center.  Parents who are serious about their child’s education use The IEP Center in North Kansas City School District, Excelsior Springs School District, Clinton School District and Bolivar School District.

To have an advocate contact you complete this form:

Name(required)

Email(required)

state where child attends school

Struggles at the school(required)

age/disability of child

Phone #s of parent

Upcoming school meeting in ten days?

yes, the school set it yes, I set it no no but I need one

My child is currently NOT attending school because:

suspended unsafe at school sick scared of school waiting for school to let him back in waiting for public school to do something right other

Submit

Δ

Sign up for The IEP Center Advocator ezine:  bit.ly/IEPezine

Visit the IEP Center website  (opens new page) to set appointment

facebook

Special Education Parent’s Advocacy Link LLC dba The IEP Center are not attorneys and do not give legal advice.  We do not give advice; we give information about the problems of children with special needs. We do not represent anyone. Consult an attorney.

© Copyright Special Education Parent’s Advocacy Link LLC 2014

Your child is worth it; let us help you.