Missouri IEP meetings where parents hear double-talk

Parents now report school staff ask  intimidating questions to redirect parents away from the topic of services that our children need. “Don’t you want your child to be independent?” is a common question parents are asked.

Within the last four years I have noticed the supports (paraprofessionals) that were a given for many students with inappropriate behaviors are no longer mentioned to parents. These districts are placing the overwhelming task on a classroom teacher of up to 30 students.  Unrealistic to all!

Uninformed and inexperienced parents don’t realize their child is missing basic support services while at public school. This results in suspensions that are unnecessary and could usually be avoided.

Advocates at Special Education Parent’s Advocacy Link LLC dba  IEP Center™ supports parents with these civil rights’ concerns in public schools.

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Special Education Parent’s Advocacy Link LLC dba The IEP Center™ advocates are not attorneys and do not give legal advice.  We do not represent children or parents. We have special knowledge of the struggles of children with disabilities.  Contact an attorney.

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IEP meetings in Missouri: what parents aren’t told

IEP students who have difficulty at public school who are often sent home, sent to in-school suspension (ISS), or out-of-school suspension (OSS) may not be in the right program, yet the public school doesn’t offer a “right” program. This predicament was addressed  when Congress arranged for mediation between parents and schools.

Often the regular IEP team doesn’t or won’t consider options beyond the routine in their building.  Serious matters require using a different approach to achieve reasonable outcomes for a student and mediation is where this can happen; mediation participants typically are not the usual IEP meeting attendees.

Schools may lead parents to believe that “due process” is the only option for the parent to pursue; this is usually not true.  A parent is  gracious to the district when participating in mediation rather than pursuing other avenues.

Don’t be bamboozled by the school!  Our advocates are knowledgeable and experienced parents who have pursued civil rights for our children.   Set a phone consult;  http://bit.ly/iepconsult

Advocates at The IEP Center help parents solve IEP problems by providing information so the parent 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 extend the problem.

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

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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 do not represent anyone.

We are civil rights advocates who support parents at low-cost.  We help parents prepare for school meetings and also go to mediation and IEP meetings with parents.

©2016-2022 Special Education Parent’s Advocacy Link LLC dba The IEP Center™

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Special Education Law Anniversary

Today in 1975 the Individual with Disabilities Education Act was signed into law.  Parents worked to get it passed through Congress.  It is a funding law; that is, monies go to states to provide services to eligible school children.  However, federal dollars currently do not cover the entire costs of educating our children with special needs.  State and local monies usually provide the bulk of the costs of educating our children.

This law opened doors of public schools to our children who previously sat at home without schooling. 

Although the front doors are open in Kindergarten, the back door is also open for some students. Schools sometimes don’t know how to educate our kids who have behavior challenges as part of the disability.  Students are suspended and parents are not told of options, or parents feel pressured to withdraw the student or homeschool.  Many students are “drop-outs”.  Administrators act as though they are shocked when accused of these “forced dropout” scenarios.

Congress was wise to include in the IDEA avenues for parents and schools to resolve conflict; especially mediation.  Mediation can be held within a month and often resolves disagreements so that the child can get appropriate services.

We help parents at low-cost.  We help parents prepare for school meetings and also go to school meetings with parents.  Visit our website at   theiepcenter.com

Special Education Parent’s Advocacy Link LLC dba The IEP Center™ provides information to parents regarding the problems of children with disabilities. We have special knowledge about the children with disabilities. We are civil rights advocates.

We are not attorneys and do not give advice.  We are not licensed to practice law.  Consult an attorney.  Legal info can be found at wrightslaw.com

©2016 Special Education Parent’s Advocacy Link LLC dba The IEP Center

Student in IEP meeting? Missouri Kansas

Often meetings at the school to develop educational plans for special needs’ students involve discussions that may be hurtful for the child.   Not knowing that this may occur, a student in the meeting can make for an awkward position for the child.

Students who do not have the capacity to advocate for themselves may feel emotionally beaten. Other students may not understand the power dynamic in these meetings and withdraw. The adults in the room may use the opportunity to “motivate” the child to “work harder” or “apply yourself”.  Examine the motivation of a school that insists a student be present in multiple school meetings; if it’s just a control or power issue, it’s okay to say that the student wasn’t invited. There are a few exceptions to when a student must be present (planning for life after high school (aka “transition”), if the student is already age 18, etc.

It is a risky scenario to have a child in IEP or 504 meetings. Advocates at The IEP Center™ know strategies parents can use to avoid these scenarios. Contact us for more information.

In lieu of the student present in the school meeting, a parent could observe the classroom prior to the meeting.

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.

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

sign up for ezine:  bit.ly/IEPezine

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Contact an advocate below:

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age of child/disability

struggles at the school(required)

Upcoming meeting at the school in five days?

If child not attending school, why?

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Best time for advocate to call you

Submit

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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.  We do not represent parents or children.  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.  Go to our website to set a telephone consult.

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