How to Survive Your Child’s IEP Meeting: A 12 Point Plan

By Dr. Carla Clayton, Psy.D. from The Mobility Resource

There are many articles out there about IEPs and how to be a better advocate for your child. So I thought I would come at this topic from a different angle.

As a parent who has been through too many of these meetings, I can say I find them extremely stressful. I have a knot in my stomach for a week before the meeting and our school district is usually pretty good about meeting my children’s needs. So I am writing this for you parents that have to advocate for your child’s needs, especially when those needs aren’t crystal clear. Here are some tips to help you get through your child’s IEP without having a nervous breakdown.

1) Make a plan.

Before the meeting make a list of the things you feel are important for the IEP. Go ahead and write down your dream IEP, knowing that some of the requests may be unlikely additions. Then go through the list and number the items you feel are the most important. Choose your battles carefully surrounding your top few items. Politely give-in on number 10 on your list, but hold strong for number one.

An example of choosing my battles happened at a meeting where I felt strongly that my son needed speech therapy. The speech therapist informed me that he is capable of making the correct speech sounds, however, he just doesn’t do it. This was entirely true, but from my perspective, the fact that he was not doing it was a problem. I knew that I could fight and win for him to have speech at school, but I also knew that being pulled out for speech would put him behind in other subjects, and that I had bigger battles to fight at this meeting. Knowing that we could access outpatient speech services, I chose to give up that battle. He made remarkable progress, turns out he was capable of making the speech sounds, but just needed a little extra practice to generalize it to everyday. Now I know shower from sour, and am saved from a great deal of confusion.

Read more HERE.

How Can I Find an Advocate? Attorney? Educational Consultant?

From Wrightslaw

One of the most frequently-asked-questions is "How can I find an advocate / attorney / consultant?" Here are some suggestions about how to find a consultant, advocate or attorney who represents children with disabilities.

1. Visit the Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities

We built Yellow Pages for Kids for each state so people can get reliable information and help.

The Yellow Pages for your state has hundreds of resources - parent support and study groups, evaluators, educational consultants, psychologists, tutors, advocates, attorneys, and others who provide services to parents and children. You will also find listings for government programs and grassroots organizations in your state.

2. Ask other parents

Ask other parents for their recommendations - they are often your best source of good advice.

3. Contact your state Parent Training Information Center

To learn about special education training for parents, contact yourParent Training Information (PTI) Center. The Directory of Parent Training Information Centers has contact information for every state. You may want to attend a Wrightslaw legal advocacy training program.

4. Contact a disabilities group or organization that represents you child's interests

You will find a comprehensive directory of disabilities organizations, clearinghouses and information groups on the Yellow Pages for Kids site.

5. Legal and Advocacy Resources

If you have a dispute with the school about your child's special education program, you may decide to consult with an attorney or an advocate who is familiar with special education law.

Contact the Protection & Advocacy organization for your state - they are legal disability rights agencies.

To find an attorney or advocate, check the Directory of Legal and Advocacy Resources, in addition to the attorneys and advocates listed on the Yellow Pages for your state. You may also contact theCouncil of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) for a referral.

Read more HERE.

Is a parent really the best advocate for their child?

By Robin Hansen, Special Education Examiner

Every parent is told the trite phrase, “You are the best advocate for your child” but unfortunately, this is only true some of the time. Remember this: No matter how smart you are, no matter how right you are. No matter how well versed you are in the law; there are simply school districts that don’t care about how they educate your child. In fact, large law firms and other legal consultants who make their living by teaching school districts how avoid giving children services or to give the absolute minimum legally defensible service.

To add to insult to injury, the entire public school system has convinced almost every citizen of the United States that they have “no money”. This is one of the most widely believed urban legends ever. If any parent stands up for their kid publically, they are derided in the court of public opinion. It rarely occurs to the public to ask what laws the school district actually broke. Nor do they ask for an accounting of tax payer funds especially when districts pay tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to lawyers to fight cases that would have settled for a fraction of the cost. Dry Creek school district is a great example of this. To read the saga of Dry Creek, click here.

I

n order to have a chance of winning a case to get what a child needs, parents need to understand what your child needs to succeed academically and emotionally. Even when things are good, and a child seems to be progressing, parents must keep the “critical thinking cap” within reach.

Most parents do try to advocate for their children to get a fair education. In the special education world, one can never use the word “best” next to “education” due to a legal decision years ago called the Rowley decision. The judge stated that special education need not be a Cadillac when a Chevy will do. Instead, the standard is getting access to an education equal to “regular” education. This is key concept for parents to remember, don’t ask for the best, ask for what is fair and equal to what the “regular” children are getting.

Every day parents go to IEP meetings trying to get their child with special needs a decent and fair education. They talk to the teachers and staff. They tell them important facts, develop relationships and think they are doing everything they can and maybe even doing a great job. In fact, as one parent, who realized that her child was going down hill fast said, “I DO fight for him. I have told them (school staff) over and over the problems he is having and nothing changes. They KNOW what is going on and they don’t DO anything. It never changes.”

Article HERE.

What You Want To See In IEP Goal

Special Education Advocate Carolina D. Watts, explains how to set IEP Goal on YouTube Video.

CAC Vice Chair Resigning

The CAC will be in need of a new vice chair soon as I am resigning. My family and I are moving out of state and I will be unable to serve any longer. I have appreciated the opportunity to work with the District and the Board of Education this past year. I hope that the CAC will be a place where parents, caregivers, staff and family can come together in their common interests for our children. The board of education faces difficult challenges in the year to come and need your input to guide them in decision making processes. Before I go, I would like to share some thoughts on four important issues before our community:

1. The consent decree will be coming to an end. This important legal tool has helped families resolve very difficult issues with the district. The board will now be free to make decisions about which of the mandated changes to keep or change. Among these are whether to keep the parent liaison and alternative dispute process or gut it to save money. As well, the board might choose to demote the Assistant Superintendent of Special Education to a director position in order to save money. Neither of these decisions would be in the best interest of children OR the district, but right now fiscal pressures are so intense that many politicians feel driven to be penny wise and nickel foolish. CAC should make itself heard: we need an ADR, Parent Liaison and an Assistant Superintendent to resolve problems at the lowest level (not in court) and to represent our 4000+ students on the Superintendent's leadership council.
   


2. The CAC bylaws are being revised. CAC must be a place where parents can turn for help, assistance and collaboration in solving problems as well as a place to network and appreciate the district. It is important that our bylaws reflect this, and I encourage members to work together to make CAC an organization where the community can speak out, raise their concerns and work together to celebrate the good and tackle the bad.


3. The Board of Education needs to know more about special education and that we have an active and involved parent community. To many policy makers locally, at the state and federal level, the provisions of IDEA and ADA are sometimes perceived as nuisances. Districts can support special education laws, tolerate them or actively resist them, stretching the letter of the law. Ours has had a history of resisting, and much of the progress made under the consent decree has been eroding before my eyes as the end approaches. The only way to ensure compliance and to build an open and willing acceptance of special education is to keep working with the district and with people who are not necessarily friends and allies. CAC has been ineffectual the last few years, and few members have been willing to stand up and speak truthfully to the board. If CAC is to make a difference in the challenging times ahead, everyone will need to understand the advisory role that we are legislatively mandated to fulfill. It is often uncomfortable giving advice under the best of circumstances, but in the end, we are the employer: the district and the board work for us. Speak truth and don't be afraid to disagree.
   


4. This year the district is committed to three reviews of special education: an outside consultant hired by the board, a self review mandated by the state and a CAC sponsored assessment of Assistive Technology (AT) services. School Board President, Gary Eberhart, was a proponent of the outside consultant and although he has come to describe this as a quality and fiscal review, it is clear from board minutes that his intention at the start at least was to save money. This has still been an important focus for him. School Boards rarely like the cost of special education as it is an unfunded mandate. The state school board association describes this as an "encroachment." One of the successes of CAC was to write quality review and compliance monitoring into this work. This review needs public oversight to make sure that CACs goals are fairly and legitimately addressed. Please contact parent liaison, Hillary Shen, to get involved. The self study from the state requires the inclusion of parent and community members. The broader our perspectives, the better the outcome. Please contact the office or the Assistant Superintendent of Special Education, Dr. Mildred Browne, to participate. The AT review has been a hard won volunteer effort that is ready to role out, but may die on the vine without a parent push. It is a good study and needs leadership.

I hope for the best for our community and leave with some sadness even as I look forward to this amazing opportunity for my family. I hope CAC can maintain some of the momentum we built over the last year. Thank you for the opportunity to serve and share these final perspectives.

Regards,

Gina Hale

Sacramento holds budget hearings!!

We received this urgent information from Linda Mayo, member of the Board of Education.  Budget Hearing June 1 Please come to speak up for children if you can

On Monday, June 1, the Legislative Conference Committee on the Budget will hold a hearing on the latest proposed state budget cuts to education. Based on past experience,this may be the only public hearing on the budget. It is vital that we communicate how united we are in opposition to these cuts.   We are asking any PTA members who can to come to Sacramento on Monday to attend the hearing.  Bring your families and bring your children as well, if you'd like. This is your opportunity to share your story, or just to support other parents who will testify. Please forward this email to anyone who cares about children.   We will hand out California State PTA buttons outside the hearing room to help you show your support.     Here are the details for the hearing:   What:  Legislative Conference Committee on the Budget When:  10:30 a.m. Monday, June 1. The K-12 education portion is slated to begin at 11:30 a.m. Plan to arrive early to get into the room. Where: State Capitol, Room 4203, in Sacramento.   Please come, if you can! Background   During this past state fiscal year, our schools have already been cut by $11.6 billion.  Recently, the Governor proposed an additional $5.4 billion in cuts to schools, including $1.6 billion more in this year that is about to end.   On top of this, the Governor proposed this week to drastically cut or eliminate entire programs that serve children and families, like Healthy Families, CalWorks and Cal Grants.   This cuts-only approach is an assault on just about every program we hold dear.  California State PTA is working on a legislative and media strategy to mobilize our members. We understand that some additional cuts will need to be made by the state to address the deficit, but the state must also come up with additional revenue sources to balance the budget. How much deeper can they cut? We must protect programs for children as much as possible. We must have a balanced approach to solving the budget crisis, one that includes revenues. The California State PTA believes that investing in children is the best way to prepare for prosperity in the days ahead. The latest cuts are shortsighted and will shortchange an entire generation of Californians - and the entire state's future.

IEP Clinic and Workshop

IEP CLINIC – Third Tuesday of Every Month

DREDF holds a FREE Individual Education Program (IEP) clinic once a month for parents who want help to strategize and prepare for an upcoming IEP meeting. Please note that there are two prerequisites to fulfill before you can participate in an IEP Clinic:

1. You must have attended a basic special education workshop (see below). We offer training on the second Monday of the month. Please call (510-644-2555) or email Tyler Zoanni (tzoanni@dredf.org) to reserve a spot.
2. You must speak with an education advocate by phone. Call 510-644-2555 ext. 227 and ask to speak with an education advocate.
Appointments are required. Call or email Tyler Zoanni at 510-644-2555 ext. 227 or tzoanni@dredf.org

Where: Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), 2212 Sixth St, Berkeley, CA
Date: Third Tuesday of every month
Time: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm (30 minute appointments)
Contact: Tyler Zoanni at tzoanni@dredf.org or 510-644-2555 ext. 227

SPECIAL EDUCATION WORKSHOP - Second Monday of the Month

"Understanding Special Education" is an overview of the special education process, Section 504 and IDEA laws.

Where: Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), 2212 Sixth St, Berkeley, CA
Date: Second Monday of the month
Time: 6:30 to 9:00 (Pizza and salad included!)
Contact: Tyler Zoanni at tzoanni@dredf.org or 510-644-2555 ext. 227