Are you a parent of a child with autism or learning disabilities? At the IEP meeting, are you sometimes intimidated by special education staff? Let the school staff tell you that they will bring their lawyer to your child's next IEP meeting. Are you frustrated? Some special education staff said they would like their lawyers to attend the IEP meeting, trying to intimidate their parents and asking them not to ask for additional services. This article will provide you with 4 easy-to-use parenting tips to help you prevent school districts from bringing their lawyers to your child's IEP meeting.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA] remains silent on IEP meetings, parents or any lawyer in the school district. However, if the school district has a lawyer at the IEP meeting and the parents cannot afford the lawyer's fees, then the parents will not be equal participants in the IEP process.
Tip 1: Once you are told that the school's lawyers have come to your child's IEP meeting, please inform them in writing that you will cancel the meeting. Also tell them why you canceled the meeting [you can't hire a lawyer and feel that I won't be an equal participant], and they don't have your permission to attend the meeting. The last part is important, so if they have a meeting, you can submit a state complaint and ask that everything done at the meeting be abandoned because the meeting is illegal.
Tip 2: After you briefly introduce the meeting, please visit the Ministry of Education website ed.gov and enter special education in the box. Once you receive special education, write "OSEP policy letter to Hillary Clinton on July 23, 2001" in the search box.
The letter was written by Hillary Clinton to ask if a region is suitable to invite its lawyers to the IEP meeting. OSEP answers Hillary's letter saying that the school district can invite people who have knowledge or special expertise. However, if the lawyer has knowledge about the student, his or her presence will likely create an atmosphere that is not in the child's best interests. . . At the IEP meeting, children who forced OSEP to seriously prevent school district advocates from attending the meeting were most interested.
Tip 3: Write another letter to your school district and include Hillary Clinton's policy letter on school lawyers at the IEP meeting. Let them reconsider their decision to bring their lawyer to your child's IEP meeting. If they don't reconsider, please continue to prompt 4.
Tip 4: Submit a state complaint to the state education department stating that your school district violated IDEA and does not allow you to be an equal participant in your child's IEP. Special education staff do this by inviting their lawyers to attend your child's IEP meeting. The state has 60 days to complete the complaint. Send a copy of all the letters, round-trip school staff, and the Hillary Clinton policy letter with your complaint.
Actually I happened this a few years ago. I told the special education person that I will cancel the meeting. After considering it, the school district changed its mind to have their lawyers come to my son's IEP meeting. The meeting was held without the presence of a lawyer.
By using these 4 easy-to-use tips, you will be able to motivate your child to try and stop the school district and bring their lawyer to your child's IEP meeting. Good luck, this fight is worth it!
Orignal From: 4 Tips for avoiding teachers sending special education IEP meetings
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