Has this ever happened to you?
- Have you ever been in an IEP meeting where it's just you ... and 8 to 10 school district personnel?
- Have you ever heard, "The school district is offering _____," with a silent and implied, "take it or leave it" at the end?
- Do you believe that the school district's offer is truly a FAPE -- a free, appropriate, public education -- for your child?
- Do you believe that the educational plan offered to your child is one which has been, "tailored, personalized and specially designed to meet the unique needs" of your child? (Did you know that that is what the U.S. Supreme Court says an IEP is suppose to do?)
- Is your child now so far behind in school you're saying to yourself, "I always believed the school district would do what was right for my child. I have trusted them all these years, they are the 'professionals,' I always went along with everything they suggested over the years, and look where my child is now ... he is going into the 5th grade and reading at the 2nd grade level." ?
- Perhaps your school district says your child is not eligible for special education services at all, saying that your child is "average," or is earning average grades and is passing his or her classes ...even though you know your child is struggling to do so and you are providing a tremendous amount of support yourself
- Perhaps they have attempted to exit your child from special education services saying your child is no longer eligible -- and yet your child continues to struggle in school
- Perhaps they have unilaterally changed your child's placement, services or classification
- Perhaps they have refused to consider, or more importantly, include private evaluation results and recommendations in your child's IEP
- Perhaps they've failed or refused to provide needed accommodations or modifications, so your child is failing his/her classes
- Perhaps your school has failed to provide services or equipment that the IEP says they are to provide
- Perhaps they have not provided the necessary services because they are expensive, or they don't have enough personnel, or they just tell you, "We don't have that here," or "That's how we do it here."
- Perhaps your child has been suspended, expelled or arrested at school due to the school's failure to address behavior that is related to your child's disability
If any of these things have happened to you and you don't know what to do about it, a Parent Advocate may be able to help.
Contact: Paula Flower, 408-926-3944
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