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!
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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.
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Missouri Special Education Advocates 
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